Devils Canyon muhly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Devils Canyon muhly |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Muhlenbergia
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| Species: |
appressa
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The Devils Canyon muhly (scientific name: Muhlenbergia appressa) is a type of grass. It grows naturally in the desert areas where California and Arizona meet Baja California in Mexico. This special grass has also been found on San Clemente Island, which is one of the Channel Islands off the coast of California. It likes to grow in the chaparral and woodlands habitat there.
What is Devils Canyon Muhly?
The Devils Canyon muhly is an annual grass. This means it grows from a seed, blooms, produces new seeds, and then dies all within one year. It can grow to be about 40 centimeters (or about 16 inches) tall. That's roughly the length of a standard ruler!
What Does It Look Like?
This grass has a very narrow inflorescence. An inflorescence is the part of the plant that holds the flowers and seeds. Think of it like the top part of a wheat stalk. The branches on this part are short and pressed close to the main stem.
The tiny flowers of the Devils Canyon muhly are called spikelets. These spikelets have long, bristle-like parts called awns, which can be up to 3 centimeters (about 1.2 inches) long. Sometimes, the spikelets that are lower down on the plant stay wrapped up in their protective leaves and don't open up to bloom.
