Koeleria pyramidata (Lam.) Beauv.

Graminae

Synonyms

Koeleria cristata Pers.

Common names

Crested hair-grass (English), Koelérie pyramidale (French), Grosses schillergras (German).

Description

Perennial plant, small size, slightly hairy, cespitous. Stems erect, 20 - 110 cm high. Blade rolled when young, narrow (2 - 4 mm), short, erect, rough on the upper side, smooth on the lower side, hairless or hairy on both sides, with a ciliate margin, glaucescent. Ligule short (1 mm), truncate. No auricles. Spike-Ue panicle, compact, 4 - 15 cm long, whitish green to purple. Spikelets 2 - 4 - flowered, almost 6 - 7 mm long. The weight of 1000 seeds is 0.2 to 0.3 g (small seeds). Chromosome number: 2n = 28. Physiological peculiarities: maximum number of leaves per tiller: 5.4.

Temperature

Large climate range.

Water

Very resistant to drought.

Soil

Restricted to dry to very dry soils. Only on soils very poor in nutrients, calcareous. Shallow, stony, calcareous soils. Also on sand.

Distribution

Native to mediane Europe. From the lowlands to alpine levels in mountain areas.

References