Grass · Sonoran native
Bush Muhly
Muhlenbergia porteri · Poaceae
Also called: Black grama (occasional misnomer), Mesquite grass, Zacate aparejo
Bush Muhly (Muhlenbergia porteri) is a very low-water grass native to the Sonoran Desert region well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It thrives in full sun.
Bush Muhly at a glance
- Water use
- Very Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun; also grows naturally with the partial protection of shrub canopies.
- Mature size
- 1-2 ft H x 1.5-3 ft W (delicate, mounding/sprawling form)
- Growth rate
- Moderate; intricately branched, wiry warm-season perennial bunchgrass.
- Bloom
- Delicate, diffuse, open panicles with a pinkish to reddish-purple haze; very fine and airy, giving a soft cloud effect; ages to straw., Summer and fall (July-October), triggered by monsoon rains.
- Cold hardiness
- Cold hardy to about 0-10 F; roughly USDA zones 7-10. Hardy in Tucson.
- Soil
- Prefers rocky, gravelly, well-drained desert soils, often on slopes and in the shelter of shrubs; tolerates poor and calcareous soils.
- Native range
- Native to the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico, including Arizona and the Sonoran Desert; characteristically grows up through and within the protection of desert shrubs like mesquite and creosote.
- Best used as
- Fine-textured ornamental accent with a delicate, see-through pink haze, Naturalistic and desert restoration plantings, Companion grass beneath and among native shrubs, Backlit ornamental specimen, High-value native forage
- Wildlife
- One of the most palatable and valuable native forage grasses for wildlife and livestock; provides cover and food, and its association with nurse shrubs supports desert habitat structure.
- Toxicity
- Non-toxic; an excellent and palatable forage grass.
How to grow Bush Muhly in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Highly drought tolerant; survives on rainfall once established. Occasional deep summer watering enhances the fine fall display, but avoid overwatering, which causes flopping and reduces longevity.
Fertilizer & nutrients
None needed; adapted to lean desert soils and requires no supplemental fertilization.
Pruning & care
Low maintenance; lightly shear or thin to remove dead wiry growth in late winter. Its tangled branching form is part of its ornamental character, so prune minimally.
Notes
A graceful, intricately branched native grass prized for its airy reddish-purple fall haze, especially when backlit. Naturally grows up through desert shrubs for protection. Excellent very-low-water ornamental and restoration grass for Tucson, though historically reduced by overgrazing.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; AMWUA Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert; USDA NRCS Plants Database