Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Muhlenbergia cuspidata
Introductory
SPECIES: Muhlenbergia cuspidata
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Ahlenslager, Kathleen E. 1988. Muhlenbergia cuspidata. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer).
Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [].
ABBREVIATION :
MUHCUS
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
MUCU3
COMMON NAMES :
plains muhly
stoneyhills muhly
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of plains muhly is Muhlenbergia
cuspidata (Torr.) Rydb. [8,9].
LIFE FORM :
Graminoid
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Muhlenbergia cuspidata
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Plains muhly occurs in foothills and prairies from Alberta to Michigan
south to Kentucky, Oklahoma, and New Mexico [5,7,11].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
STATES :
CO IL IN IA KS KY MI MN MO MT
NE NM ND OH OK SD WI WY AB MB
ON SK
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
5 Columbia Plateau
7 Lower Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K016 Eastern ponderosa forest
K017 Black Hills pine forest
K056 Wheatgrass - needlegrass shrubsteppe
K063 Foothills prairie
K065 Grama - buffalograss
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K070 Sandsage - bluestem prairie
K074 Bluestem prairie
K081 Oak savanna
K098 Northern floodplain forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Plains muhly is a component of foothill and prairie community vegetation
types. Publications listing it as an indicator in vegetation
classification schemes are listed below:
Analysis of grassland vegetation on selected key areas in southwestern
North Dakota. [22]
Ecology of mixed prairie in Canada. [3]
Range plant communities of the Central Grasslands Research Station in
south central North Dakota. [12]
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Muhlenbergia cuspidata
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Plains muhly plants have good forage value, but stands are often
scattered [26]. This species occurs primarily on range in good or
excellent condition. Relative abundance of plains muhly decreases with
continued cattle grazing [18].
Elk and mule deer generally use sites dominated by warm-season grasses,
such as plains muhly. The results of a study at Wind Cave National
Park, South Dakota, however, showed that this species was not a
significant part of their diet [24,25].
PALATABILITY :
The palatability of plains muhly to livestock and wildlife species in
several western states has been rated as follows [5]:
CO MT ND WY
Cattle Fair Fair Fair Fair
Sheep Fair Fair Fair Fair
Horses Good Good Good Fair
Pronghorn ---- ---- Poor ----
Elk ---- Fair ---- ----
Mule deer ---- Poor Poor ----
White-tailed deer ---- ---- Poor ----
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Compared with other grasses, plains muhly is rated fair in energy and
protein value [5].
COVER VALUE :
In North Dakota, the degree to which plains muhly provides environmental
protection during one or more seasons has been rated as poor for
pronghorn and white-tailed deer but fair for mule deer [5].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Compared with other grasses, plains muhly's potential for use in
revegetation work was rated as follows [5]:
CO MT ND WY
Erosion control potential Medium Low Medium Medium
Establishment requirements ------ High Medium Medium
Short-term revegetation ------ Low Low Low
potential
Long-term revegetation ------ Low Medium Low
potential
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Muhlenbergia cuspidata
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Plains muhly is a densely tufted, warm-season, native bunchgrass arising
from thickened culm bases. Plants reach 16 inches (42 cm) in height.
They have tillers and are nonrhizomatous. Roots reach a maximum depth
of 15 to 20 inches (40-50 cm) [4,8,9,10,18].
A study of the growth and morphological response to irradiance on an
open prairie in Linn County near Hiattville, Kansas, showed that plains
muhly can adjust morphologically to shaded environments. Plants
produced more biomass at higher photosynthetic photo flux densities in
shaded areas [8].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Hemicryptophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Plains muhly regenerates by tillering and seeds.
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Plains muhly grows on uplands and hillsides. In Nebraska it is
particularly abundant on lime uplands and thin loess range sites. It is
commonly intermixed with little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and
sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula). Plains muhly occurs throughout
mesic Midwestern prairies [5,6,21].
Elevational ranges vary as follows [2]:
from 5,000 to 9,100 feet (1,500-2,800 m) in CO
3,500 to 3,900 feet (1,100-1,200 m) in MT
4,000 to 6,000 feet (1,200-1,800 m) in WY
Growth of plains muhly on various soil textures is rated as follows [5]:
CO MT ND WY
Gravel Fair Fair Fair Good
Sand Poor Good Fair Fair
Sandy loam Good Good Good Good
Loam Good Good Good Good
Clay loam Good Good Good Good
Clay Poor Fair Fair Fair
Dense clay Poor Poor Poor Poor
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Facultative Seral Species
For the most part plains muhly occurs only occasionally in climax
vegetation [3]. At Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, plains muhly
is part of the bluestem (bunch-grass) subclimax with little bluestem and
big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii var. gerardii) [15].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Plains muhly usually begins growth during the first 2 weeks of April.
Flowering occurs from the end of June to July. Seeds ripen from early
August to October [4,5,8].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Muhlenbergia cuspidata
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Plains muhly is nonrhizomatous; it regenerates via tillers and seeds.
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Muhlenbergia cuspidata
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
NO-ENTRY
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Like other warm-season grasses, plains muhly is generally favored by
early spring or winter burns. In the northern Great Plains mixed
prairie, spring burning results in an increase in herbage production of
warm-season grasses. Thus, forage resources on cool-season northern
mixed prairie ranges can be supplemented with warm-season grasses. The
effects of burning may be enhanced or negated by the interactive effects
of grazing following burning [[15].
After a hot, late May wildfire in a mesic prairie in the northern Great
Plains, the frequency of plains muhly plants remained the same or
increased [23]. A different study in the mixed-grass prairie of the
northern Great Plains also showed that the frequency of plains muhly
remained unchanged or increased after spring burning. In the tallgrass
prairie of the northern Great Plains, muhly species were usually harmed
by fire, although some data showed either no change or an increase in
plant vigor after fires [16].
A spring fire in a snowberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis) shrub
community in central Alberta resulted in grass coverage remaining high 3
years after burning [1]. In Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota,
plains muhly increased after a winter burn. This may have been due to a
decrease in competition from cool-season grasses [15]. However, in a
semidesert grass-shrub type, plains muhly appeared to be seriously
harmed by fire [20].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Muhlenbergia cuspidata
REFERENCES :
1. Anderson, Murray L.; Bailey, Arthur W. 1979. Effect of fire on a
Symphoricarpos occidentalis shrub community in central Alberta. Canadian
Journal of Botany. 57: 2820-2823. [2867]
2. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
3. Coupland, Robert T. 1950. Ecology of mixed prairie in Canada. Ecological
Monographs. 20(4): 271-315. [700]
4. Coupland, Robert T.; Johnson, R. E. 1965. Rooting characteristics of
native grassland species of Saskatchewan. Journal of Ecology. 53:
475-507. [702]
5. Dittberner, Phillip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The plant information
network (PIN) data base: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and
Wyoming. FWS/OBS-83/86. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Fish and Wildlife Service. 786 p. [806]
6. Dix, Ralph L. 1958. Some slope-plant relationships in the grasslands of
the Little Missouri Badlands of North Dakota. Journal of Range
Management. 11: 88-92. [807]
7. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
8. Great Plains Flora Association. 1986. Flora of the Great Plains.
Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. 1392 p. [1603]
9. Hitchcock, A. S. 1951. Manual of the grasses of the United States. Misc.
Publ. No. 200. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Agricultural Research Administration. 1051 p. [2nd edition revised by
Agnes Chase in two volumes. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.]. [1165]
10. Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur; Ownbey, Marion. 1969. Vascular
plants of the Pacific Northwest. Part 1: Vascular cryptograms,
gymnosperms, and monocotyledons. Seattle, WA: University of Washington
Press. 914 p. [1169]
11. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
12. Lura, Charles L.; Barker, William T.; Nyren, Paul E. 1988. Range plant
communities of the Central Grasslands Research Station in south central
North Dakota. Prairie Naturalist. 20(4): 177-192. [7224]
13. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
14. Roberts, David W.; Sibbernsen, John I. 1979. Forest and woodland habitat
types of north central Montana. Volume 2: The Missouri River Breaks.
Missoula, MT: Univeristy of Montana, School of Forestry. In cooperation
with: Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forestry
Sciences Laboratory. 24 p. [2001]
15. Schripsema, Janet R. 1978. Ecological changes on pine-grassland burned
in spring, late spring and winter. Rapid City, SD: South Dakota State
University. 99 p. Thesis. [2092]
16. Steuter, Allen A. 1987. C3/C4 production shift on seasonal
burns--northern mixed prairie. Journal of Range Management. 40(1):
27-31. [2237]
17. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
18. Stubbendieck, J.; Nichols, James T.; Roberts, Kelly K. 1985. Nebraska
range and pasture grasses (including grass-like plants). E.C. 85-170.
Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska, Department of Agriculture,
Cooperative Extension Service. 75 p. [2269]
19. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982.
National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573]
20. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. [n.d.]. Fire
effects in plant communities on the public lands. U.S. Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 164 p. [2394]
21. White, E. M. 1961. A possible relationship of little bluestem
distribution to soils. Journal of Range Management. 14: 243-247. [110]
22. Whitman, Warren C. 1979. Analysis of grassland vegetation on selected
key areas in southwestern North Dakota. Final Report on Contract No.
7-01-2. Bismark, ND: Regional Environmental Assessment Program. 199 p.
[12529]
23. Wright, Henry A.; Bailey, Arthur W. 1980. Fire ecology and prescribed
burning in the Great Plains--a research review. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-77.
Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain
Forest and Range Experiment Station. 60 p. [2618]
24. Wydeven, Adrian P.; Dahlgren, Robert B. 1983. Food habits of elk in the
northern Great Plains. Journal of Wildlife Management. 47(4): 916-923;
1983. [2630]
25. Wydeven, Adrian P.; Dahlgren, Robert B. 1985. Ungulate habitat
relationships in Wind Cave National Park. Journal of Wildlife
Management. 49(3): 805-813. [57]
26. Zacek, Joseph C.; Hunter, Harold E.; Bown, T. A.; Ross, Robert L. 1977.
Montana grazing guides. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil
Conservation Service. 12 p. [2687]
27. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
28. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
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