California muhly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids California muhly |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Muhlenbergia
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| Species: |
californica
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Muhlenbergia californica is a special kind of grass that grows in California. People often call it the California muhly. It's not a very common grass, which makes it quite unique!
Where Does This Grass Live?
This grass is endemic to California. This means it only grows naturally in this one place in the whole world! You can find it in a part of California called the Transverse Ranges. So far, scientists have only found it in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California.
The California muhly loves places that are a bit wet. You might spot it near streams or in ditches. It also grows in areas known as chaparral and woodlands. These are places with many shrubs and trees that are used to dry summers.
What Does It Look Like?
The California muhly is a perennial grass. This means it lives for many years, not just one season. It grows from special underground stems called rhizomes. These rhizomes help the grass spread and grow new shoots.
This grass can grow to be about 30 to 70 centimeters tall. That's roughly the height of a two-liter soda bottle! Its flowers and seeds grow in a narrow cluster of thin branches. These branches hold many tiny, hairy spikelets. Each spikelet is only a few millimeters long and might have a small, pointed tip called an awn.
