Phleum alpinum L.

Graminae

Synonyms

Common names

Alpine cat's-tail (English), Fléole des Alpes (French), Alpen timothe (German).

Description

Perennial plant, small size, hairless, cespitous. Stems erect, 20 - 50 cm high, without bulb at the base. Blade rolled when young, short, 3 - 5 mm wide. Ligule short (up to 2 nim), truncate. No auricles. Spike-like panicle, cylindrical, 1 - 3 cm long (much shorter than P. pratense). Spikelets 1 – flowered. Chromosome number: 2n = 28.

Habitat

Only found in mountain and boreal areas, even at low altitude.

Temperature

Adapted to boreal and mountain climates.

Soil

Optimum on cool soils. Optimum on soils with a moderate nutrient availability (mesotrophic species). Large range of soil texture.

Distribution

Mountain areas of Europe, Asia, North and South America, as well as cold areas of the northern hemisphere at low altitude. Very common between 1400 and 2400 m in the Alps.

References