Muhlenbergia reverchonii 'Undaunted'

Muhlenbergia reverchonii ‘Undaunted’ is prairie poetry with zero drama. It is a compact, clump forming perennial from the rocky slopes and limestone flats of central Oklahoma to central Texas that thrives where fussier plants sulk, on thin, stony, sun baked ground, yet still looks effortlessly refined.

‘Undaunted’, selected for a tidy habit and a heavier blush, is notably hardy, easy, and well behaved. Tufted, thread fine leaves make tight basal mounds to about 60cm (2ft) high and wide. In late summer through to autumn, gauzy pink plumes drift above the hummocks, the airy flowers maturing to graceful seed heads that linger like champagne fizz before the whole plant fades to warm tawny in winter.

Give full sun and sharply drained sandy or rocky soils that are dry to medium. It shrugs off heat, humidity and drought, grows a touch taller with regular moisture, and is straightforward from seed or spring division, with modest self seeding.
Cold tolerance is exceptional for a muhly, reliably around RHS H7, roughly minus 29 to minus 23°C, which is colder than almost anywhere in lowland Western Europe and much of Central Europe. Winter wet is the real risk, so plant high and keep the drainage keen.

Muhlenbergias as a group partner brilliantly with sun loving perennials. Use them to contrast fine texture against broad leaves at the back of beds, or plant in sweeping drifts for textural drama that is heightened by deeply coloured flowers nearby. Many species and larger selections can reach 80 to 100 cm tall and 60 to 90 cm wide, so give them room. Space plants 90 to 120 cm apart, or three to four feet, for impressive mass plantings. The genus is valued for drought and heat tolerance and for general resistance to deer. Some species cope with heavier soils, but ‘Undaunted’ shows best in free draining sites. Few cultivars are on the market, perhaps because the species themselves are so outstanding.

Sowing: Sow in spring or in autumn.
Sow seeds into trays or large pots containing a good quality seed compost or potting soil. Sow thinly, if you sow them too thickly, you risk the seedlings developing fungal diseases or growing spindly. Do not cover the seed with compost as light is required for germination, just tightly press the seeds into the earth.
Moisten the seeds, cover the container with a clear plastic dome or put it in a clear plastic bag so the seeds remain moist. Keep at temperatures of around 15 to 20°C (60 to 68°F).
Put the container in indirect light away from the sun, germination should take place in two to four weeks. After the seedlings appear, remove the cover and place them where they can get plenty of sun and maintain a temperature of around 15°C (60°F) until the seedlings are established.
Once seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant them to a one-litre pot containing gritty compost. They will form a bushy plant and be ready to go into the garden in summer. Be sure to plant in a place where either the morning or evening sunlight will illuminate the thread-like sprays, the low slanting light will make them glow as they wave in the breeze. Space at 60 to 90cm (24 to 36in) between plants.

Cultivation:
Muhlenbergia is a beautiful warm-season grass that forms a neat, upright clump with fine blue-grey foliage. It produces attractive, plumes in autumn and goes dormant in the cold season. It continues to be attractive in the winter landscape. For appearances sake, cut this fast-growing plant to the ground in late winter or early spring before new growth appears to remove the brown leaves and spent flowers. After pruning, add a small amount of fertiliser to the soil around the plant.
It grows best in fertile, well-draining soil and needs ample irrigation in the summer to maintain a lush appearance. It is hardy to around RHS H7 which is about −29 to −23°C, that’s hardy across the Ireland and the UK and most of northern Europe. Plants are tolerant of high salinity but do not like to be waterlogged in winter. If it is sat in water through the winter it will die so make sure drainage is good as you plant the small plants into containers or into the garden. A handful of course grit into the planting hold will help with drainage. If you have clay, sandy soil, or other poor conditions, add a healthy amount of organic matter to the soil.
It should be remembered that plants in pots can suffer quite badly during winter. Give containers a bit of winter protection and remove them to a place indoors if possible.

Seed Collecting:
If you would like to collect seeds, they grow on the fine, branched inflorescences or plumes of flowers that are half as long as the rest of the plant. The flowers mature from the bottom up and seeds are best collected in late autumn just as the wispy plumes lose their rich pink colour. If you carefully comb the seeds with your hands from dried plumes, you won’t destroy their good looks. Collect into a paper bag and sow as soon as possible.

Plant Uses:
Borders, naturalistic and perennial planting. Specimen or focal point, Cut or Dried Flower arranging.

Origin:
The genus Muhlenbergia contains over 150 species, and approximately 65 are native to North America, the majority make their home in the southern U.S. and Mexico.
Muhlenbergia capillaris is native to eastern North America, Florida to eastern Texas, north to Massachusetts, New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, Kentucky, south Indiana, Missouri and Kansas. However, it is endangered in Connecticut, Indiana, Maryland, and New Jersey, and is said to have vanished from Pennsylvania and almost certainly Ohio. It can be found in acidic soils in open woods, glades or openings along roads.

Nomenclature:
The German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber (1739-1810) named the genus Muhlenbergia after one of the first early-American scientists. Gotthilf Heinrich (Henry) Ernst Muhlenberg (1753-1815) was American born but returned to his ancestral Germany for schooling and later returned to America. He was an ordained Lutheran minister but devoted his free time to the study of the botany. The G.H.E Muhlenberg pressed plant collection now resides at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Pennsylvania. This assortment of fungi, molds, lichens, mosses and more is considered a national treasure.

It’s a commemorative epithet: reverchonii means 'of Reverchon'. It honours the 19th-century botanist and Texas plant collector Julien Reverchon (1837–1905). The double ii is the standard Latin genitive ending used for a man’s surname, so essentially “Reverchon’s.”
It is pronounced ee-eye (e.g., williamsii is “wil-ee-AM-see-eye.”). You will perhaps hear some folks say just “ee” (so “wil-ee-AM-see”), but ee-eye is the widely taught form.
Similarly, when you see -ae or -iae, it’s often named after a woman.

Muhlenbergia reverchonii is pronounced muh-len-BERG-ee-ah reh-ver-KOH-nee-eye. You’ll also hear locals say reh-ver-SHOW-nee-eye, nodding to Reverchon’s French name.
It has the common names of 'Seep muhly', A seep is a spot where groundwater slowly oozes to the surface, think a damp patch or trickle, gentler and smaller than a spring. Muhlenbergia reverchonii often grows around these moist microsites on rocky, limestone slopes, hence 'seep muhly.' It’s still drought-tough, but those seeps give it a foothold in otherwise harsh, thin soils. Seeps stay green longer in dry spells, so they’re wildlife hotspots.