Poa alpina

Alpine bluegrass ( Poa alpina)

The alpine bluegrass ( Poa alpina), called in Switzerland also Romeie, is a species in the family of grasses ( Poaceae ). It is zircumpolar spread in Eurasia and North America.

Description

The alpine bluegrass is a wintering green, perennial, herbaceous plant. It reaches a height 15-30 centimeters. The culms are erect or geniculate - ascending, its surface smooth and bare. The stalks have two to four nodes, which are also bare.

The leaves are green to gray-green and only have a very narrow bright cartilage edge. They are flat, and from 4 to 10 centimeters long. The ligule of basal leaves is absent to nearly absent ( then trimmed ), which is the stem leaves 3-5 millimeters long and slashed, not pointed.

The Rispige inflorescence is pyramidal, the lower branches are far during the flowering period from. The spikelets are usually crowded purple. The spikelets are usually transformed into leaf buds, the style is pseudovivipar. Bloom time is June to August.

The alpine meadow-grass is very rich in form. The chromosome number (2n) ranges from 14 to 74

Ecology

In the Alps bluegrass is a hemicryptophytes.

The main propagation is done by bulbils. In addition, gravity spreading is done by that stoop wet stems and rooting the breeding plants. Also Klebausbreitung the outside occupied with Klebzotten Spelzfrüchte is possible beside still velcro propagation is done by sheep and wind spread as snow runners.

Occurrence

The alpine bluegrass is arctic - alpine circumpolar spread and occurs in Europe, West Asia and America. In the Alps, it rises to 2600 meters above sea level, in the lowlands it occurs mainly only as Schwemmling. The main distribution is in the subalpine and alpine altitude level.

In Germany, the distribution ranges of the Alps down to the Lake Constance area until Landsberg and Augsburg. In Austria it is often missing and only in Vienna and Burgenland.

The alpine meadow grass grows mainly on fat pastures and fertile meadows, in warehouses and corridors nutrient-rich soil Snow companies ( Schneetälchen ). It grows on fresh, nutrient - and base-rich, humus-rich loam and clay soils. It is a alpinae Verbandscharakterart of Poion.

By moderation Fertilize with rotted manure the Alps bluegrass can be promoted and suppressed by frequent slurries.

Use

The alpine bluegrass is a good fodder grass. Less often it is cultivated as an ornamental plant in rock gardens.