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Catabrosa aquatica (L.) P.Beauv.

Whorl-grass (en), Catabrose aquatique (fr), Canche aquatique (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Poales > Poaceae > Catabrosa

Characteristics

Perennial, rhizomatous; rhizome stout, creeping. Culms erect, succulent, 20–70 cm tall, unbranched. Leaf sheaths closed up to middle, upper shorter than internodes; leaf blades equally wide throughout, soft, 5–20 cm × 2–8 mm, apex boat-shaped; ligule 2–5 mm, obtuse. Panicle open or loosely contracted at anthesis, ovate to oblong in outline, 10–30 × 4–12 cm; branches whorled, slender, usually obliquely ascending, up to 10 cm, often bare of spikelets in lower part. Spikelets with (1–)2(–3) florets, 2–4(–5.8) mm; glumes obtuse or subtruncate; lower glume ovate to suborbicular, 0.5–1.2(–2) mm; upper glume broadly elliptic, 1–2(–3) mm; lemma 1.5–3 mm, green becoming brown at maturity, usually glabrous, apex truncate. Anthers 1–2 mm. Fl. and fr. Apr–Aug. 2n = 20.
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Culms 1–7 dm; lvs 3–8(–10) mm wide; infl 8–15 cm, the finely hairy branches divergent, in fascicles of ca 5; first glume ovate, 1–1.7 mm; second glume oblong, truncate and usually erose, 1.6–2 mm; lemmas broadly oblong, 2.2–3 mm, glabrous; anthers 1–1.3 mm; 2n=20. Shallow water or wet soil; circumboreal, s. to N.B., Wis., Nebr., and Ariz.
A grass. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 10-30 cm tall. It has stolons or runners. The leaves are narrow and 2-8 cm long by 2-5 mm wide.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination anemogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) 1.5 - 2.5
Mature height (meter) 0.25 - 0.7
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Shallow streams and ditches, at the muddy margins of ponds and in wet sandy places near the sea all over Britain.
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It is a subtropical plant. In Argentina it grows below 200 m above sea level. In Yunnan.
Light 6-9
Soil humidity 7-12
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 3-7

Usage

The leaves are eaten raw or boiled.
Uses fodder medicinal
Edible leaves seeds
Therapeutic use Ceremonial Medicine (unspecified), Stimulant (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.
Mode divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Catabrosa aquatica habit picture by Em Em Do (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Catabrosa aquatica flower picture by hieracium eriophorum (cc-by-sa)
Catabrosa aquatica flower picture by Em Em Do (cc-by-sa)
Catabrosa aquatica flower picture by Aurore Crits (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Catabrosa aquatica world distribution map, present in Afghanistan, Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Belarus, Canada, Switzerland, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Algeria, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Morocco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, Pakistan, Palau, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Sweden, Turks and Caicos Islands, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United States of America, and Uzbekistan

Conservation status

Catabrosa aquatica threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:395086-1
WFO ID wfo-0000858385
COL ID RR34
BDTFX ID 14764
INPN ID 89316
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Aira scabra Aira viridula Catabrosa angusta Catabrosa aquatica Catabrosa capusii Catabrosa ochroleuca Catabrosa pseudairoides Catabrosa sikkimensis Festuca airoides Glyceria catabrosa Glyceria dulcis Poa airoides Poa rivularis Aira aquatica Catabrosa scabra Catapodium aquaticum Glyceria aquatica Melica altissima Poa dulcis Poa sabauda Agrostis tillierii Catabrosa aquatica f. latifolia Catabrosa aquatica f. schurii Catabrosa aquatica f. uniflora Catabrosa elbursensis Catabrosa viridula Colpodium elbursense Glyceria ochroleuca Glyceria viridula Poa grandiflora Poa pseudairoides Colpodium aquaticum Catabrosa airoides Glyceria airoides Diarrhena aquatica Hydrochloa airoides Molinia aquatica Catabrosa minor Catabrosa kneuckeri Catabrosa atrata Catabrosa aquatica subsp. capusii Catabrosa aquatica subsp. pseudairoides Catabrosa aquatica var. angusta Catabrosa aquatica var. laurentiana Catabrosa aquatica var. littoralis Catabrosa aquatica var. uniflora Glyceria aquatica var. latifolia Catabrosa aquatica var. atrata Catabrosa aquatica var. minor Catabrosa aquatica var. aquatica Catabrosa aquatica subsp. aquatica Catabrosa aquatica f. zapalowiczii Poa airoides

Lower taxons

Catabrosa aquatica subsp. minor
WorldFloraDB 2024