''Muhlenbergia schreberi'', the nimblewill, is a grass species in the family

Poaceae Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...

native to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Description

The nimblewill has

purple Purple is a color similar in appearance to violet light. In the RYB color model historically used in the arts, purple is a secondary color created by combining red and blue pigments. In the CMYK color model used in modern printing, purple is ...

to green culms that stand erect, and its

spikelet A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the inflorescences of grasses, sedges and some other monocots. Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the sp ...

s are about 2-8 inches long. Its

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

s are greenish and contain a

rachis In biology, a rachis (from the [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the ''rachi ...

. Each spikelet has 1–2

glumes In botany, a glume is a bract (leaf-like structure) below a spikelet in the inflorescence (flower cluster) of grasses (Poaceae) or the flowers of sedges (Cyperaceae). There are two other types of bracts in the spikelets of grasses: the lemma an ...

that are 0.2 mm long and afterwards the spikelets disarticulate and fall to the ground. The florets of the nimblewill are

pollinate Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, for example bees, beetles or butterflies; birds ...

d by the wind.

Turf grass

It is considered a southern turf type

lawn grass A lawn () is an area of soil-covered land planted with Poaceae, grasses and other durable plants such as clover lawn, clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawn mower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic an ...

and turns brown in the winter. This makes it a lesser grass for northern climate lawns. It is

shade tolerant In ecology, shade tolerance is a plant's ability to tolerate low light levels. The term is also used in horticulture and landscaping, although in this context its use is sometimes imprecise, especially in labeling of plants for sale in nursery (ho ...

and tends to spread aggressively once established. Because of its durability in moderately cold temperatures and invasive bug species, this grass can be used to protect certain crops in the American southeast.

Ecology

This species is eaten by the bug ''

Stenodema vicinum Stenodema vicinum is a species of Hemiptera, true bug in the Miridae family that feeds on the grass blades of Muhlenbergia schreberi, Muhlenbergia schreberi (nimblewill). This species has been implicated in "silver top" damage to grass seed cro ...

'', and is also eaten by cattle and other hoofed herbivores. The seeds can be distributed by sticking to animal hoofs or shoes. Nimblewill grows in light sun and partial shade, and prefer a loamy soil and moist conditions. Nimblewill is common around

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

where it is native. The nimblewill is sometimes found around

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. Some insects are known to eat nimblewill, like '' Hysteroneura setariae,'' '' Conocephalus brevipennis'' and '' Hymenarcys nervosa''. Birds that are known to eat this plant are

tree sparrow The Eurasian tree sparrow (''Passer montanus'') is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape and a black patch on each pure white cheek. The sexes are similarly plumaged, and young birds are a duller version o ...

song sparrow The song sparrow (''Melospiza melodia'') is a medium-sized New World sparrow. Among the native sparrows in North America, it is easily one of the most abundant, variable and adaptable species. Description Adult song sparrows have brown upperp ...

s and turkeys.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentTypes of Centipede Grassextension.psu.edu
* schreberi Lawn grasses Flora of Northern America Garden plants of North America Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin {{Chloridoideae-stub