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| Category: Grass |
| Family: Poaceae (Gramineae) (Grasses) |
| Origin: Southwest (U.S.) (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Light Lavender |
| Bloomtime: Fall/Winter |
| Height: 4-6 feet |
| Width: 3-5 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Muhlenbergia dumosa (Bamboo Muhly) - An interesting grass from southern Arizona and northern Mexico that looks like a dainty bamboo with its 4-6 feet tall light airy stems of bright-green foliage. In late fall and into winter the foliage tips are decorated with masses of small flowers that give the plant a pale pinkish-green cast. Although rhizomatous, it spreads slowly and is easily controlled. Plant in full sun and water occasionally – this is a drought tolerant grass though looks more lush with an occasional drink. An attractive and unusual grass with wispy stems that dance in the wind. Muhlenbergia dumosa grows naturally on rocky slopes, canyon ledges, and cliffs in oak-pine and thorn-scrub forests and open prairie from 2,000 to 6,000 feet in elevations in southern Arizona to southern Mexico from southern Baja California, Sonora to Jalisco, and the Chihuahuan Desert region. The German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber (1739-1810) named the genus for Gotthilf Heinrich (Henry) Ernst Muhlenberg (1753-1815) who was American born but returned to his ancestral Germany for schooling and later returned to America. He was an ordained Lutheran minister but devoted his free time to the study of the botany. The specific epithet is from the Latin word 'dumos' meaning "bushy" in refence to the interesting growth habit of this grass. We got this great grass from John Greenlee and and have grown it since 1991.
The information provided on this page is based on research we have conducted about this plant in our nursery's library, from what we have found about it on reliable online sources, as well as from observations in our nursery of crops of this plant as well as of plants growing in the nursery's garden and those in other gardens. We will also incorporate comments received from others and welcome getting feedback from anyone who may have additional information, particularly if it includes cultural information that would aid others in growing Muhlenbergia dumosa. |
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