Muhlenbergia emersleyi
Bull Grass

Family: Poaceae

Showy perennial bunchgrass with stout, erect, mostly unbranched stems usually about 2-3’ tall. In early summer on into fall appear the loose spikes with dark purple flowers rising above the foliage – this is usually one of the first muhlys to flower and the blooms last a very long time.

Full to filtered sun, moderate water. Long blooming season. Hardy to -10°F. A good mounding grass for tidy landscapes.

Native grasses are extremely important plants for wildlife: as nesting material for birds as well as native bees and other insects, as habitat for many organisms, and as food: adult insects eat the foliage, granivorous birds depend on many species for seeds, and most grass species are used as larval hosts for many species of butterflies and moths, especially skippers. Many bee species collect the pollen of many species of grasses. All can be used for desert tortoise enclosures, though the more spreading types are better for keeping up with a tortoise appetite.

Grasses also play an important role in the ecology of soil, and because they are monocots, they can be planted close to other species of plants (the nature of the root systems of monocots renders them less imposing on neighboring plants). They hold soil down and help prevent erosion. Many species are pioneer plants that convert disturbed soils into hospitable places for other plants.

Muhlenbergia emersleyi on iNaturalist
Photo by Max Licher, SEINET