Common Name:

General Information

Muhlenbergia asperifolia is a spreading, perennial grass with elongated rhizomes; the culms can be ascending or decumbent and around 10 - 50cm long[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

N. America - British Columbia to Ontario, south to California, Texas and Maryland, through Mexico; S. America - Bolivia, Argentina, Chile

Habitat

Moist, often alkaline meadows, playa margins, and sandy washes, on grassy slopes, and around seeps and hot springs; at elevations from 55 - 3,000 metres[]. Sandy bottoms, damp sands etc[]. Dry soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Species in this genus generally succeed in any well drained soil in a sunny position[].
The seed of this species is often affected in the wild by a fungus (Tilletia asperifolia) which produces a large, globular body[].

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked. It can be parched, ground into a flour and eaten dry or made into a mush[, ]. The seeds are very small, less than 1mm long[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer if they have grown sufficiently. Otherwise, grow them on in a greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring of the following year.
Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.