Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Muhlenbergia sericea
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Muhlenbergia from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
This grass is a major component of baskets made in the Low Country of SC by the Gullah, who call it "sweet grass", per Weakley's Flora (2022)
(?)
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Muhlenbergia filipes
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Muhlenbergia sericea
INCLUDED WITHIN Grasses of Florida (Hall, 2019)
Muhlenbergia sericea
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25 (2003)
Muhlenbergia sericea
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Muhlenbergia capillaris var. filipes
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-45-002?:
Muhlenbergia capillaris FAMILY Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Muhlenbergia capillaris var. filipes
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Muhlenbergia capillaris var. filipes
COMMON NAME:
Dune Hairgrass, Sweetgrass
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Bruce A. Sorrie bas_muhlenbergia_sericea1
September Dare County NC
)
Bruce A. Sorrie bas_muhlenbergia_sericea2
September Dare County NC
Inflorescence a loose, limber panicle that turns pinkish when mature, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
)
JK Marlow jkm231104_6558
November Horry County SC
Myrtle Beach State Park
)
JK Marlow jkm231104_6559
November Horry County SC
Myrtle Beach State Park
M. sericea is commonly cultivated and sold under the erroneous name of M. capillaris, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Muhlenbergia sericea
FAMILY
Poaceae
(?)
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Muhlenbergia filipes
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Muhlenbergia sericea
INCLUDED WITHIN
Grasses of Florida (Hall, 2019)
Muhlenbergia sericea
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25
Muhlenbergia sericea
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Muhlenbergia capillaris var. filipes
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-45-002?:
Muhlenbergia capillaris
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Muhlenbergia capillaris var. filipes
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Muhlenbergia capillaris var. filipes
3104
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: Maritime dry grasslands, maritime wet grasslands, interdune swales, low dunes, sometimes edges of freshwater or brackish marshes, northwards in its distribution (in NC and SC) apparently limited to the barrier islands (sometimes in close proximity with M. capillaris), sometimes locally abundant, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Mostly basal
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Spikelets usually purplish
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Grain purplish
Grain
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p177?
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p350
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p490
- Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950) p406
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p204?
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p085
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p413
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p096
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