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Wasowski, Sally and Andy
Muhlenbergia schreberi J.F. Gmel.
Nimblewill
Poaceae (Grass Family)
USDA Symbol: musc
USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.
The genus of this plant is named for Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg (1753-1815), also Heinrich Ludwig Muehlenberg, or Henry Muhlenberg, who was a German-educated Lutheran minister and the first president of Franklin College, now Franklin and Marshall College, Pennsylvania. He is most famous due to his work in the field of botany. An accomplished botanist, chemist, and minerologist, Henry is credited with classifying and naming 150 species of plants in his 1785 work Index Flora Lancastriensis. Muhlenberg's work and collaboration with European botanists led to great advances in the study of plants and earned him the distinction as America's first outstanding botanist.
From the Image Gallery
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: 1 - 2 1/2
Flower:
Fruit:
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: GreenBloom Time: Jul , Aug , Sep
Distribution
USA: AL , AR , CA , CO , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NE , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WI , WVCanada: ON
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N)
Growing Conditions
Light Requirement: Part Shade , ShadeSoil Moisture: Moist
Benefit
Use Wildlife: Stenodema vicinum (insect) feeds on grass. Young foliage is eaten by cattle and hoofed herbivores.Warning: The tiny seeds may cling to the feet of animals and the shoes of people, distributing the grass to new areas.
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Birds
Deer Resistant: No
Mr. Smarty Plants says
Groundcover to reduce erosion for shady area in New York
May 05, 2009
We live on a lake with gravelly and clay soils, lots of wind and little sun. I am looking for a native ground cover that will help reduce erosion over some of the steep slopes facing south (under shad...
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Recommended Species Lists
Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.
View Recommended Species pageAdditional resources
USDA: Find Muhlenbergia schreberi in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Muhlenbergia schreberi in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Muhlenbergia schreberi
Metadata
Record Modified: 2008-08-27Research By: TWC Staff
