MUHLENBERGIA. North America and Asia. A large group of annual and perennial grasses, many of them having little in common except to the trained eye of a botanist. The following are all large, perennial bunchgrasses, easily grown and highly ornamental—assuming you have space for them. Sun or light shade, most soils, moderate watering. All of these should be hardy to 10^oF or less.

capillaris. Purple muhly. A dense crown of blue green shoots, up to 2' high and wide. The leaves are narrow and thick. In summer and fall, wandlike stems rise to a height of 3-4', displaying airy clouds of tiny, purple tinged flower spikelets. These hang on for many weeks.

dumosa. Bamboo muhly. A woody grass with slender, openly branched stems arching to 4-6'. The leaves are up to 3" long, pale green in color. One barely notices the small, purple tinged flower clusters. Overall, the plant has much the look of a small Otatea or other wispy bamboo. Though found on desert slopes in the Southwest, it will tolerate ordinary garden conditions.

dubia. This is a poorly known but pretty native of Arizona. It grows 2-3' high, resembling a smaller form of M. rigens, below. It produces similar fountains of dense, narrow flower spikes in summer and fall.

emersleyi. Another Southwestern native, with attractive grey-green leaves and 2-3’ stems carrying dense clusters of purple-tinged flowers in fall.

lindheimeri. In spring and summer, this species is a dense fountain with long, bright bluish green leaves. In fall and winter, however, it carries many narrow, feathery clusters of tiny spikelets on 3-4' stems.

 rigens. Deer grass. I admired this California native for years in botanical gardens before I recognized it as a frequent companion on my trips in the wild. It forms dense, fountainlike clumps, 2-3' tall in leaf, up to 6' in bloom. The narrow light green leaves extend to nearly 2' long. Short flower clusters are narrowly pressed along the tall blooming stems, giving them a wandlike appearance. They persist through the winter, creating beautiful silhouettes. Sun or light shade, most soils, moderate to occasional watering.