Arrhenatherum P.Beauv.

Oatgrass (en), Ray-grass français (fr)

Genus

Angiosperms > Poales > Poaceae

Characteristics

Perennials, caespitose, bisexual. Leaves: ligule an unfringed but sometimes puberulous membrane; blade rolled in bud. Inflorescences paniculate, spike-like, ±symmetrical, narrow, ±dense to loosely contracted or branches somewhat spreading. Spikelets pedicellate, laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes but not between florets, usually with 2 florets, the basal floret male, the upper floret bisexual or sometimes female, rarely a few spikelets with both florets bisexual and alike; rachilla prolonged beyond uppermost floret, sometimes with a reduced floret. Glumes 2, very unequal; longer upper glume ±equalling, exceeding or slightly shorter than adjacent fertile lemma, awnless, keeled or not, without median keel wing; lower glume 1 or 3-nerved; upper glume 3 (–5)-nerved. Lemmas 5–9-nerved, sometimes ±keeled towards apex, not becoming indurated. Male lemma 1-awned; awn arising from lower back (below middle), geniculate, with column twisted. Female-fertile lemma distinctly firmer than glumes, awnless or 1-awned; awn dorsal, usually short, slender and straight, much shorter than to ±equalling body of lemma. Palea shortly bidentate, 2-keeled. Stamens 3. Anthers 3–6.5 mm long. Ovary hairy. Hilum long-linear.
More
Perennial. Culms tall, basal internodes often swollen into globose corms. Leaf blades linear, flat. Inflorescence a moderately dense panicle. Spikelets weakly laterally compressed, florets 2, dimorphic, sometimes with an additional rudiment, lower floret staminate and strongly awned, upper floret bisexual and weakly awned or awnless; rachilla disarticulating above glumes but not between florets, extended beyond terminal floret; glumes unequal, thin, lower glume 1/2 spikelet length or more, 1-veined, upper glume as long as spikelet, 3-veined; lemmas firmly membranous to subleathery, rounded on back, 5–9-veined, apex 2-denticulate; lower lemma awned from near base, awn geniculate with twisted column, exserted from spikelet; upper lemma with a short straight awn or awnless; palea slightly shorter than lemma, keels ciliate. Ovary apex hairy; hilum linear.
Spikelets 2-fld, disarticulating above the glumes and between the lemmas; glumes unequal, chartaceous, hyaline in age, the first shorter, 1-veined, the second equaling the lemmas, 3-veined; lemmas thin, rounded on the back, short-bearded at base, 5–7-veined, the lower enclosing a staminate fl and bearing below the middle a long geniculate awn, the upper one enclosing a perfect fl and awnless or bearing just below the tip a much shorter straight awn; tall perennials with flat lvs and narrow panicles. 6, temp. Eurasia.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) -
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 4-10

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -