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Agrostis capillaris L. |
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Graminae Agrostris. pumila L., A. tenuis Sibth., A. vulgaris With. |
Author: Alain Peeters |
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Common bent (English), Agrostis commun (French), Gemeines straussgras (German). Perennial plant, small size, hairless, with short rhizomes. Stems often horizontal then raised (ascendent), often stoloniferous, 10 to 80 (- 100) cm high. Blade rolled when young, thin, narrow (1 - 5 mm). Ligule short (0.5 - 2 mm), wider than long, truncated, asymetrical (top of the ligule off-centre). No auricles. Panicle-like, loose inflorescence, usually spreading, ovate, rarely contracted even after flowering. Spikelets 1-flowered. The weight of 1000 seeds is 0. 06 to 0. 10 g (small seeds). Chromosome number: 2n = 28. Physiological peculiarities: A. capillaris hybridizes with A. stolonifera. One of the few grasses producing stolons and rhizomes simultaneously. From dunes or sea cliffs to highlands. It is extremely resistant to summer heat and winter cold. Its climate requirements are thus low. Is present in atlantic or continental climates, at low or high altitude. Tolerates shade, for instance on the edges of forests. Optimum on normally drained or dry soils. Species typical of mesotrophic to oligotrophic conditions. Often reveals low phosphorus content in soil. Is often associated with Festuca rubra which nevertheless prefers slightly richer (mesotrophic) soils. The optimum conditions of soil fertility are met namely on sandy soils, on schists, on granits, on gneiss ... where the soil reaction is acid, but also on chalk, on dolomites, ... where the soil reaction is basic. A. capillaris and A. stolonifera have often a complementary distribution in relation with topography. The common bent is more abundant on plateaus and on the upper part of slopes, while the creeping bent is more common on the lower part of slopes, namely on colluvium, and in vales. However, the distribution area of the two species overlaps largely. Native to Europe and West Asia. Has become subcosmopolitan in temperate regions. |