Meadow comb grass

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Meadow comb grass
Cynosurus cristatus (blooming camgrass) .jpg

Meadow crest grass ( Cynosurus cristatus )

Systematics
Monocots
Commelinids
Order : Sweet grass (Poales)
Family : Sweet grasses (Poaceae)
Genre : Comb grass ( Cynosurus )
Type : Meadow comb grass
Scientific name
Cynosurus cristatus
L.

The Meadow comb grass or just comb grass ( Cynosurus cristatus ) is a domestic in Central Europe grass species from the family of the sweet grasses (Poaceae).

features

illustration
Cynosurus cristatus

The meadow crest grass is a perennial plant and forms dense clumps ( hemicryptophyte ). It can also spread with very short rhizomes and form dense lawns. It is often only two to five years old. The numerous renewal shoots grow tall within the leaf sheaths . The stalks are 10 to 75, rarely up to 90 cm high. They stand upright, are smooth and bald, and usually have one to three knots .

The leaf sheaths are grooved, smooth and glabrous. The lower ones fray. The ligule is a membranous border 0.5 to 1.5 mm long. The leaf blades are 4 to 14 cm long and 1 to 2 (rarely up to 3) mm wide. It is spread out flat, glabrous, or with short hairs on the upper side of the leaf. It is rough in the upper third.

The inflorescence is a panicle that is 2 to 12 cm long and 5 to 10 mm wide. The spikelet groups are close and contracted on one side of the main axis. The panicle branches are very short and branched. Like the main axis and the spikelet stalks, they are finely ciliate. The individual spikelets are always next to a dense, stalked fan of empty husks . Several spikelets stand together in short, clustered groups.

Panicles
Spikelets with four flowers: at the base of the spikelet there are two glumes (Glu), each flower is enveloped by a cover (Lem) and a palea (Pal). In addition, there is a double-comb-shaped structure, a sterile spikelet, at the bottom (see middle and right picture).

The single spikelet has two to five flowers. It is 3 to 6 mm long without awn . When ripe, the florets fall out individually, their glumes remain. The glumes are almost equal, single-nerved, 3 to 4.5 mm long. Seen from the side they are narrow, lanceolate and pointed; they are thin-skinned, bald and have a rough keel. The lemmas are five-nerved, three to four mm long. Their shape is lanceolate with a narrow, rounded upper end. The lemmas usually have a thin awn tip up to a mm long. They are membranous, glabrous, rough around the edges and on the upper part. The palea are two-veined, shorter than the lemma. Their shape is lanceolate, they are notched at the top and the keels are rough. The anthers are 1.8 to 2 mm long. The flowering period is June to August.

The fruit is 1.6 to 2 mm long. It is bald and has an elliptical shape.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 14.

ecology

Meadow crest grass is a perennial, short-lived hemicryptophyte .

The flowers are self-fertile and windy of the "long-dust thread type". The flowering period is June to August.

Propagation unit are surrounded by top and Palea caryopses . There is wind spread instead, to spread mainly through kick, d. H. Carry-out with earth clinging to the hooves of grazing animals. Perhaps also random spread with the food; in addition, human expansion as a cultural companion. Light germs . Fruit ripening from August.

A vegetative propagation through the short runners is possible. Sometimes a viviparous form occurs (var. Vivipara WILLK.) In which the spikelets develop into leaf sprouts.

Distribution and locations

Meadow comb grass occurs in most parts of Europe, as well as in southwest Asia to Iran and the Azores. It was introduced in North America, Australia and New Zealand. It is an element of the submeridional to north-temperate Florence zone . It occurs from the plains to middle mountain areas, but only has higher proportions in mountain areas. In the Black Forest it rises up to 1300 m, in the Alps mostly up to 1700 m. In the Allgäu Alps in Vorarlberg between Hochtannberg and Hochalpsee, it rises up to 1,890 meters above sea level.

It grows on meadows, pastures, artificial turf, field paths and in sparse forests. It is common in Marsch and Geest . It prefers fresh, nutrient-rich and alkaline, mild to slightly acidic clay and loam soils. It is a clay pointer, a freshness pointer and an outspoken light plant. It also occurs in waterlogged locations and, if there is sufficient moisture, on sandy soils. Dry, sandy, strongly acidic, more impoverished soils and a dry climate are avoided.

In the plant-sociological system, it is an association characteristic of the fat pastures , the standing and hay meadows (Cynosurion cristati). It is also common in smooth oat meadows (Arrhenatherion) and in golden oat mountain meadows (Polygono-Trisetion).

In Germany, the species is classified as endangered in some federal states. In Austria the species is considered common. In Switzerland, the species is not endangered in any of the areas.

use

The meadow crest grass is cultivated as fodder grass and as park lawn. It is mainly eaten by cattle in the pastures when young, but the tough stalks are left standing. In dry locations it is low-yielding, but on rich, moist soils in humid locations it is vigorous with dense lawns and pasture-resistant. Due to the early budding and self-sowing, it is a valuable grass in mountain areas. It is promoted by fertilization. At lower altitudes, however, it is easily displaced by more vigorous species. It is therefore considered to be medium-quality, low-yielding grass, especially in damp and cool locations.

Common names

For the meadow crested grass, the other German-language trivial names exist or existed : Herdgras ( Bern ), Kammgras ( Silesia ) and Wierengras (Oldenburg).

supporting documents

In addition to the sources listed in the individual references, the article is based on the following documents:

  • Hans Joachim Conert: Parey's grass book. Recognize and determine the grasses of Germany . Parey, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-8263-3327-6 , pp. 192 .
  • Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common Central European species in portrait. 7th, corrected and enlarged edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Ernst Klapp , Wilhelm Opitz von Boberfeld : Pocket book of grasses. Recognition and determination, location and socialization, evaluation and use . 13th revised edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2006, ISBN 3-8001-4775-0 , p.  168 f .
  2. ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Cynosurus cristatus. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  3. ^ CE Hubbard: Grasses. A Guide to their Structure, Identification, Uses and Distribution in the British Isles. Penguin, London 1992, ISBN 0-14-013227-9 , p. 219.
  4. ↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 1, IHW, Eching 2001, ISBN 3-930167-50-6 , p. 179.
  5. ↑ FloraWeb, Endangerment , accessed July 15, 2008.
  6. ^ Manfred A. Fischer, Karl Oswald, Wolfgang Adler: Excursion flora for Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol . 3rd, improved edition. State of Upper Austria, Biology Center of the Upper Austrian State Museums, Linz 2008, ISBN 978-3-85474-187-9 .
  7. ↑ InfoFlora Nationaler Status (Red List 2002) , accessed October 8, 2012.
  8. ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, p. 125 ( online ).

Web links

Commons : Meadow Combgrass  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files