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| ## deergrass {#deergrass .Title-Header}                               |
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| *Muhlenbergia rigens* (Benth.) A.S. Hitchc.                           |
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| Plant Symbol = MURI2                                                  |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="3.4375in" height="2.2916666666666665in"}
J.S. Peterson

USDA NRCS NPDC

@ PLANTS

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

In California, dense patches of deergrass provide cover during the
fawning period of mule deer (*Odocoileus hemionus*) in mountain meadows
and grassland openings. The younger palatable tufts are grazed by deer,
horses, and cattle and can remain palatable if continually grazed. It is
particularly sought for forage by animals when first resprouting after a
burn. Older tufts are poor feed for livestock. The seeds provide food
for songbirds and probably other birds as well. In sunny openings where
deergrass occurs, it forms a larval food plant for one of the Satyrid
butterflies, the California ringlet *(Coenonympha california)* and for
the umber skipper *(Poanes melane).* Massive numbers of ladybugs
overwinter in deergrass clumps. Deergrass is a valuable streambank
stabilizer, as it has an extensive root system, and if grown in dense
enough colonies, it can be an effective weed suppresser. In California,
Pacific Gas and Electric is experimenting with growing it in dense
colonies under powerline corridors. Its long, slender culms (stems) and
tall tufts make it an attractive plant for the garden.

Deergrass is a significant species to central and southern California
Native Americans who utilize the flower stalks in the foundations of
coiled baskets. Frequently, thousands of flower stalks are needed for
completion of each basket. Culms are gathered in late spring while still
green, or summer or early fall when golden brown depending upon the
tribe, individual family preference, and elevation of the deergrass
site.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

*Muhlenbergia rigens* (Benth.) A.S. Hitchc., deergrass, is a perennial
bunchgrass reaching heights of 5 feet when in bloom. It is part of the
largest genus of warm season grasses in North America. The bunchgrass is
found in dense, large clumps, but can occur as a continuous cover in
areas that are subjected to light or frequent ground fires. The culms
are slender, narrow, and spike-like, 3 to 4 feet in length and less than
1/2 inch wide. The numerous, small spikelets each have one flower. The
ligule (where the leaf blade meets the stem) is firm and blunt, 1/8 inch
long. The leaves are 1/16 to 5/16 inch wide. The seeds are small,
requiring about 2.5 million to make one pound. The dense, basal foliage
is tufted and these large tufts, up to 6 feet across, are a
distinguishing feature of the grass, along with the whip-like flower
stalks.

##### Adaptation and Distribution {#adaptation-and-distribution .Header-3}

It is found on sandy or gravely well-drained soils in scattered colonies
in dry or damp places below 7,000 feet elevation from Shasta County in
northern California south, extending into New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico.
Deergrass can withstand periodic flooding, but it cannot tolerate
poorly-drained soils.

The major plant communities it inhabits include valley grasslands,
streamsides, and meadows. Additionally, deergrass is shade-intolerant
and occurs in grassland openings within chaparral, mixed conifer
forests, and oak woodland plant communities, maintained with human-set
or lightning fires. On most soil types, these grassland areas quickly
revert to the surrounding dominant vegetation type without human or
natural disturbance.

For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page
for this species on the PLANTS Website.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

*Broadcast seeding*: In California and the Southwest, deergrass can be
broadcast seeded in the late spring or summer during the months of May,
June, July, and August, with irrigation. The seeds are tiny and should
be broadcast on top of the ground, and then run over with a ring roller
or a culti-packer to compress the seeds slightly below the soil surface.
For best results, sow at least 4 pounds of PLS (pure live seed) per
acre, which amounts to 50 seeds per square foot. Deergrass is
slow-growing and germination rates can vary from 2 weeks up to 2 months.
Fertilization of deergrass is not recommended, as it usually gives weeds
a competitive edge. Site preparation is extremely important for good
establishment of deergrass. Both repetitive tillage and burning are
recommended to drastically curtail weed competition. Repetitive tillage
involves loosening the soil, irrigating, and cultivating the area with a
disc harrow, following with a ring roller to kill the flush of annual
weeds. This is done several times prior to seeding to reduce the weed
seedbank. Burning involves setting fire to all residual dry matter prior
to seeding.

*Container planting*: Container planting is a more effective and less
time consuming way of establishing deergrass, but it is more costly than
seeding on a large scale. Deergrass seed can be sown into flats,
seedling plug trays, or reforestation tubes in May. Plants can be
planted out from containers in the fall of the same year in soil that
has been moistened with the first rains, using standard planting
procedures. Plants can also be sown in the fall in flats or containers
and planted out the next summer or fall in the designated area. Plants
should be spaced at a minimum width of 24 inches. Irrigating is not
necessary if it is a normal rainfall year. Site preparation is the same
as for the section under broadcasting seed. Larger bunchgrasses can also
be divided in winter or early spring and transplanted. A good stand of
deergrass can be established in 1½ years by container planting. It is
thought that container planting with grown plugs is more effective in
establishing deergrass than by seed.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

Once established, deergrass is quite drought-tolerant. To maintain its
vigor and reduce accumulated dead material, deergrass can be mowed or
burned every several years. Burning or mowing should be in the fall,
after it has gone to seed. Many tribes historically and probably
prehistorically enhanced deergrass populations through firing deergrass
stands in the fall in California every 2 to 5 years. Fires set by Native
Americans increased flower stalk yields, recycled nutrients, cleared
away detritus, and promoted seedling production in the midst of reduced
competition from other plants. According to Native American elders,
these fires maintained the bunchgrass in greater numbers than would have
occurred under natural conditions. Knowledge of past indigenous fire
management of deergrass has important implications for mountain meadow
habitat management for wildlife and maintenance of grassland openings
within shrublands, woodlands, and forests for preservation of indigenous
cultural traditions. Some areas could be managed with the dual
objectives of indigenous harvesting of flower stalks and grazing after
culm harvest.

##### Pests and Potential Problems {#pests-and-potential-problems .Header-3}

There are several fungi that infect the leaves of deergrass, causing
debilitation, but usually not death. These include tar spot
*(Phyllachora epicampis)*, two rusts *(Puccinia schedonnardi* and
*Uromyces epicampis)*, and stripe smut *(Ustilago striiformis)*. Fire
eliminates these pathogens.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

Deergrass plant materials are available from commercial sources.

##### Prepared By & Species Coordinator:  {#prepared-by-species-coordinator .Header-3}

USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

##### 

##### Edited: 05Feb2002 JLK; 060802 jsp {#edited-05feb2002-jlk-060802-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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