Taxon Report

Muhlenbergia fragilis Swall.

delicate muhly

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Muhlenbergia fragilis, commonly known as delicate muhly, is a annual herb in the Poaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Pinyon and juniper woodland (carbonate, and gravelly), growing at elevations from 1600 to 1600 meters. Muhlenbergia fragilis is ranked 2B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Muhlenbergia fragilis Swall.
Common Name:	delicate muhly
Family:	Poaceae
Element Code:	PMPOA480Q0
USDA Plants Symbol:	MUFR
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Oct	Oct
Elevation:	1600-1600 (5250-5250)
General Habitats:	Pinyon and juniper woodland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.3
Global Rank:	G5?
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.3 to 2B.3 on 2013-06-12

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	3
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	3

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Castle Peaks (3511532), Clark Mtn. (3511555), Pinto Valley (3511523)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	33 %
Non-native animal impacts	1	33%
Non-native plant impacts	1	33%

Notes



Known in CA only from the Clark and New York mountains. See Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium 29:206 (1947) for original description, and Madroño 35(4):353 (1988) for first CA record.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 10 November 2025].