Alopecurus myosuroides

Acker foxtail ( Alopecurus myosuroides )

Arable foxtail ( Alopecurus myosuroides ) is an annual grass from the kind of foxtail grass ( Alopecurus ).

Features

Arable foxtail is an annual plant and grows mostly winterannuell. It grows in tufts. The stalks are 15 to 80 cm high, densely branched at the base and erect to geniculate - ascending. Its surface is heavily ridged, rough along the entire length. The stalk has three to five knots. The leaf sheaths are rough, which are slightly inflated top, the bottom is very thin. The ligule is a membranous border of 2 to 5 mm in length. The leaf blades are 4-15 cm long and 3-8 mm wide. They are flat - spread and particularly rough on the top and on the edge.

The panicle is 3-12 cm long, 4-6 mm wide and dense cylindrical. The spikelets consist of a flower. Awnless spikelets are 4-7 mm long, from narrow - elliptical shape. When ripe they fall off as a whole. The glumes are equal to each other. In the bottom third to half of them are fused at the edges. You have three nerves and are as long as the spikelet, lanceolate, keeled, in the upper half has 0.3 to 0.5 mm wide wing. Keel and lateral nerves are hairy at the bottom. The lemma is four annoying, about the same as the glume lanceolate, glabrous. In the bottom third of their edges are fused, the back bears an awn in the lowest quartile. The awn is geniculate, 8-12 mm long, the Untergranne is rotated, the Oberg Ranne is straight, rough and usually extends about 4 mm above the spikelet addition. The palea is missing. The dust bags are 2.5 to 4.5 mm long. Bloom time is in May and August / September.

The fruit is 2-3 mm, long and elliptically compressed laterally. The chromosome number is 2n = 14

Dissemination and locations

Arable foxtail is native to Europe and the temperate regions of Asia. In North America and other areas, it has been introduced.

In Central Europe the species is alteingebürgert ( archaeophyte ). In the southwest, west and north Germany the species is alteingebürgert and often. In central and eastern Germany it is often introduced. In Austria, it was long considered very rare and inconstant, but seems to be spreading.

Arable foxtail grows in grain fields, especially in winter cereals. Besides, it is to ways to be found on dumps, on fallow and wasteland. It grows moderately fresh, nutrient - and base-rich loamy soils, often calcareous, low in humus and neutral to moderately acid. It is a half-light plant and a Lehmzeiger.

Phytosociological it is a Verbandskennart custody umbels companies ( Caucalidion platycarpi ), but is also regularly in Windhalm companies before ( Aperion spicae -venti ).

In East Friesland the term Swartgras is occupied for the arable foxtail.

Importance

In winter cereal fields, the field foxtail can become a troublesome weed. If multiple grain is grown on fields, it spreads rapidly. A fight is considered to be difficult and is usually done by crop rotation.

Documents

In addition to the sources listed in the detailed records of the products based on the following documents:

• H. J. Conert: Pareys grasses book. Identify and determine the grasses Germany. Blackwell Scientific Publishers, Berlin, Vienna, 2000, pp. 192, ISBN 3-8263-3327-6