Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Muhlenbergia racemosa
Upland wild timothy
Taxonomy

Synonyms:

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

  • Magnoliophyta
    • Liliopsida

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Species Distribution
If map does not appear refresh browser Refresh
Click map to view & download detailed occurrence records

More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
0

Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Monocot, perennial

Roots: adventitious, rhizomes

Shoots: alternate leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; entire leaf margin; Parallel leaf venation; awl-shaped leaf shape

Inflorescence: panicle

Flowers: perfect; 3 merous; complete; hypogynous ovary position

Fruit: grain

Physiology: autotrophic; C4 C02 fixation

Reproduction: sexual, vegetative

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is distributed in dry soil (Ref. 8), alluvial bottomland of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, prairies, and moist open places (Ref. 4). As for Muhlenbergia glomerata, there is a conflict between attributed habitats listed in the several references. Ref. 7 explicitly says M. racemosa lives in dry places, along railroads, and roadsides, and is often confused with M. glomerata of wet places. Item 78 (natural communities) follows Ref. 7.

ILPIN Notes: Species has thick, contracted panicle, like M. glomerata, but this species has glabrous internodes, scaly rhizomes. Michaux type is from southern Illinois. Ref. 7, of Swink et al. says this and M. glomerata have been confused in different references. This has resulted in diametrically opposed habitats being listed under each species. Species is more common in western half and northern tip of state; uncommon in eastern half of state.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators:
  • Dispersal:
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation: No

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 0
  • Chicago Area:

Post a Comment or Question About this Plant
Name

Email address (required)

Comment? Question? 300 word limit (required)




Enter the text code above (required)

Note: All submissions are moderated and only some are posted. Posted comments may be edited for length. An email address will not be posted, but it is required for communication with the site moderator. Comments focused outside of Illinois and neighboring states may be posted, but more attention will be given to Illinois centered information. Thanks for your interest.