hairawn muhly
Muhlenbergia capillaris · Poaceae
hairawn muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is a perennial grass or grass-like plant in the Poaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 7 and warmer, down to about 7°F.
At a glance
| Type | graminoid USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 3 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | high USDA |
| Growth rate | moderate USDA |
| Soil pH | 5.8–6.8 USDA |
| Bloom | September–November USDA |
| Flower color | Red USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 7 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | herb-layer Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having needs consistently moist ground. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It handles periodically wet ground (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance medium). It is recorded on soils from pH 5.8 to 6.8 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 7.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 3 ft, making it roughly waist to chest height. It grows at a moderate rate.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of September through November. Flowers are red.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is yellow-green, fine in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 30 to 90 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 120 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 9 inches. Fertility requirement: low — no feeding needed on ordinary garden soil.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed and sprigs. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a slow rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. Its fire tolerance is rated high. Its growth form is recorded as bunch.
Role in a guild
Herb layer. In a layered planting this is the herbaceous middle — perennials and grasses that fill the space between ground cover and shrubs. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Muhlenbergia
- scratchgrass Muhlenbergia asperifolia
- plains muhly Muhlenbergia cuspidata
- gulfhairawn muhly Muhlenbergia filipes
- wirestem muhly Muhlenbergia frondosa
Similar role and hardiness
- European beachgrass Ammophila arenaria
- sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula
- sturdy bulrush Bolboschoenus robustus
- rescuegrass Bromus catharticus
- soft brome Bromus hordeaceus
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol MUCA2, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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