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Foxtail Muhly - Muhlenbergia andina
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State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
Muhlenbergia andina occurs widely scattered in western and south-central Montana. It grows in damp places, but often with well-drained soils. It can be found along streams, in wet meadows and seeps, and around hot springs. The low number of collections in combination with limited habitat and/or specific micro-habitat characteristics indicates it is either rare, declining, or over-looked in floristic surveys. Current data on locations, population sizes, habitat, and threats is greatly needed to better assess its status in Montana.
Details on Status Ranking and Review
Range Extent
Score F - 20,000-200,000 sq km (~8,000-80,000 sq mi)
Comment 41,832 square kilometers
Area of Occupancy
Score D - 6-25 4-km2 grid cells
Comment Plant occurs in 12 of the 30,590 4x4 square-kilometer grid cells that cover Montana.
Number of Populations
Score B - 6 - 20
Comment 14 occurrences
Environmental Specificity
Score C - Moderate. Generalist or community with some key requirements scarce
General Description
Perennial with well-developed rhizomes. Stems 30–80 cm tall, often loosely bunched. Leaves: blades 2–4 mm wide; ligule about 1 mm long. Inflorescence a spike-like panicle 5–13 cm long. Spikelets 2.5–3.5 mm long. Lemmas with an awn 3–9 mm long, callus hairs as long as the lemma (Lavin in
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX ).
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
Throughout much of the western half of the U.S. and southwestern Canada (Lavin in Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX ).
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 15
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Threats or Limiting Factors
STATE THREAT SCORE REASON Reported threats to Montana's populations of Foxtail Muhly (Muhlenbergia andina ) are currently assigned as unknown. Potential threats due to human trampling need to be substantiated before a threat rank can be assigned (MTNHP Threat Assessment 2021).
References
Literature Cited AboveLegend: View Online Publication Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p. MTNHP Threat Assessment. 2021. State Threat Score Assignment and Assessment of Reported Threats from 2006 to 2021 for State-listed Vascular Plants. Botany Program, Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, Montana.
Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication Do you know of a citation we're missing? Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
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