Deschampsia flexuosa (L.) Trin.

Graminae

Synonyms

Aira flexuosa L.

Common names

Wavy hair-grass (English), Canche flexueuse (French), Geschlangelte schmiele (German).

Description

Perennial plant, moderate size, hairless, making a turf, sometimes with short rhizomes. Stems erect, (20 -) 30 - 60 (- 80) cm high. Needle blade, very narrow, dark green. Blade of the upper leaves sometimes flat. Ligule quite short (1 - 3 mm), truncate. No auricles. Panicle-like, spreading inflorescence, with long flexuous branches, ovale shape, contracted after flowering. Spikelets with 2 fertile flowers, almost 5 mm long, variegated with purple and silvery white. Lemma with a bent, very striking awn. The weight of 1000 seeds is 0.30 to 0.40 g (small seeds). Chromosome number: 2n = 28.

Temperature

Widespread in the climates of the temperate area. Very resistant to cold and to a long snowy period.

Soil

Optimum on normally drained to cool soils. Restricted to soils very poor in nutrients (oligotrophic species) and moderately to very acid. The accumulation of organic matters in these soils is often high because of a low mineralisation. Large range for soil texture.

Distribution

Native to temperate and cold areas of the northern hemisphere. From the lowlands to high altitudes in mountain areas.

References