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

Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

native to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

Description

The nimblewill has

purple Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters, pu ...

to green culms that stand erect, and its

spikelet A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers 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 spikelet that ...

s are about 2-8" long. Its

panicle 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 panicle are of ...

s are greenish and contain a

rachis In biology, a rachis (from the grc, ῥάχις [], "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 c ...

. 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 and ...

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, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, a ...

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 grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. L ...

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 commercial ...

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'', 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. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

where it is native. The nimblewill is sometimes found around

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. 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 GrassUSDA Plants Databaseextension.psu.edu
* schreberi Lawn grasses Flora of North America Garden plants of North America Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin {{Chloridoideae-stub