Pink Muhly grass is a very showy, clump-forming, warm season perennial grass that can get to two or three feet tall and just as wide, and to 4 feet or more when in flower. The stems and leaves are thin, wirelike and upright, protruding from a basal clump, sprouting up almost fountain-like. The astonishing pink plumes are silky and airy, and can be breathtaking, especially if backlit. They appear in late summer and persisting into winter, gradually giving way to tan ripe seeds that follow. On the distribution maps its occurrence is spotty from the east coast over to Texas (in NC, coastal plain and piedmont) and does not give a hint as to its character: a denizen of prairies and barrens, it is a great grass to plant for erosion prevention — even better if you are in a dry area, as it is extremely drought tolerant once established. Like all grasses, it is untouched by deer. Here at the nursery we rejuvenate our planting with a controlled burn in spring, to which it responds beautifully. In a home landscape, cutting back in late winter to 6 inches or so before new growth begins is recommended. It is considered endangered in the wild in a number of states. A Mississippi Medallion Native Plant Winner in 2010 and voted Plant of the Year by the Garden Club of America in 2012.
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Muhlenbergia capillaris
Key Info
Scientific Name: Muhlenbergia capillaris (Lam.) Trin.
Common Names: Pink Muhly, Gulf Muhly, Hair Grass, Pink Hairgrass, Mule Grass, Hairawn Muhly
Family Names: Poaceae (Grass Family)
Plant Type: Grass / Grass-like
Light Requirement: Full sun
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Flower Color: Seed heads are airy, delicate pink.
Additional Info
Habit: Muhly Grass is a cespitose (stems fused together or packed right up against one another at the base), perennial, clumping grass with a wispy pink seed head. Stems are unbranched and upright. Plants grow in clumps but do not spread through above-ground or underground stems. The grass clumps into "herds" of bush-like individual plants.
Height: 2'-3' (4+' in flower)
Spread: 2'-3'
Soil Conditions: Average, dry, organic, acidic; sandy, sandy loam, poor and rocky soils.
Leaves: The wiry, very thin leaves emerge from a central clump, simple and alternating from the stem; 18–36 inches long.
Flowers (or reproductive structures: Open, loosely branched inflorescences (each to 12” long) are open panicles of small spikelets, each spikelet being 1-flowered and rarely 2-flowered. The flowers grow during the fall season, especially from September to October, and are usually colored pink or purplish-red. They mature from the bottom up.
Fruit: Small, oval grass seeds maturing in October/November.
Natural Distribution: Sandy, rocky woods and clearings, rocky soils, meadows, open woods, pine barrens, prairies.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: FACU (Piedmont) and FAC (Coastal plain)
Pollination: Wind
Wildlife Connections: Its clumping habit provides cover for ground nesting birds and small mammals; attracts beneficial insects and birds that feed on the seeds in winter.