Mat muhly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mat muhly |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Muhlenbergia
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| Species: |
richardsonis
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Muhlenbergia richardsonis, often called mat muhly, is a type of grass. It grows naturally in North America. You can find it across much of Canada, Alaska, and the western United States. It also grows in California and Baja California, Mexico.
What Mat Muhly Looks Like
Mat muhly is a perennial grass. This means it lives for more than two years. It has special underground stems called rhizomes. These help it spread and form dense mats. Its stems can grow up to about 40 centimeters (16 inches) long.
The leaves of mat muhly are a pretty blue-green color. They can be up to 5 or 6 centimeters (2 inches) long. The plant's flowers grow in a narrow, tube-like cluster. This cluster is called an inflorescence. It has tiny, tightly packed branches. Each branch holds gray-green, single-flowered spikelets. These are very small, only 2 or 3 millimeters long.
Where Mat Muhly Grows
Mat muhly is a tough grass that can live in many different places. It grows in rocky slopes and meadows in mountain areas. It can also be found in wet alkaline and saline soils. You might see it in desert dry streambeds, chaparral areas, forests, and woodlands.
This grass is special because it's an alpine plant that uses a unique way to make food. It uses something called C4 carbon fixation. This method helps it grow well in warm, sunny places. Mat muhly has been found at higher altitudes than any other C4 plant in North America. For example, it grows at 3,670 metres (12,040 ft) high in the White Mountains of California. It also grows at 3,200 metres (10,500 ft) high in Utah.
Prairie Fens and a Special Leafhopper
Mat muhly is the only known food plant for a tiny insect called the leafhopper Flexamia huroni. This leafhopper lives only in Michigan. The grass itself is found in special wet areas called alkaline prairie fens. These fens are becoming very rare. Because its home is disappearing, the Flexamia huroni leafhopper is a species that scientists are worried about.
