Muhlenbergia Capillaris. C13

Plant belonging to the genus Muhlenbergia and the species capillaris. Its family is the grasses.

It is native to the southwestern USA and parts of Mexico.  It lives in tall grasses, thickets, mixed coniferous forests and oak woodland communities. 

It is a plant that does not need much watering to maintain itself. It likes to be in sun or semi-shade.

This plant can live in sandy, loamy or clay-textured soils.

The flowering season is mainly in summer.

It is a perennial herb with dense basal foliage, narrow, pointed leaves up to 90 cm long. The spikes reach up to 2 m in height.

It can withstand frost quite well.

It is a plant with dense basal foliage, with narrow, pointed leaves up to 90 cm long. The spikes reach up to 2 m in height, the outer spikes are arched, giving the bush a fountain-like appearance, with colour varying from purple to silvery-green. Very fast growing plant that reaches maturity in the second season.

It is used in low maintenance gardening, in borders, flowerbeds and as a groundcover creating dense stands, thanks to its ornamental appearance. It can live in gardens in the vicinity of water such as irrigation systems, swimming pools, etc.

Also very suitable for use on banks and slopes as an erosion preventative thanks to its extensive root system. For areas under pressure from herbivores. Can be used in soils excessively loaded with agricultural chemicals, thanks to the ability of its roots to act as biological filters. It tolerates saline soils.

This plant likes direct sunlight, although it can live in half-shade conditions. It tolerates periodic flooding, but cannot thrive in stagnant water and poorly drained soils. The tender shoots are attractive to wildlife but when the plant matures it becomes unpalatable and is resistant to herbivores.

Pruning at ground level is fine, but not essential to maintain the plant's growth habit. It can be raked to remove dry leaves. Although its growth is fast, it is not aggressive and its expansion is very controllable.