Anthoxanthum odoratum

Sweet vernal grass ( Anthoxanthum odoratum )

The Ordinary sweet vernal grass, Fragrant sweet vernal grass or short sweet vernal grass ( Anthoxanthum odoratum ) is a plant of the genus Ruchgräser ( Anthoxanthum ) within the family of grasses ( Poaceae ). It is widespread in Eurasia. The hay has due to the formation of coumarin a characteristic hay and woodruff odor.

• 6.1 Notes and references

Description

Vegetative characteristics

The Ordinary vernal grass is a perennial herbaceous plant, reaching heights of growth from 15 to 50, rarely up to 80 centimeters. It forms short, underground runners. The numerous renewal shoots grow up within the leaf sheaths. The stalks have two to four nodes ( more nodes ).

The leaves are divided into leaf sheath and blade. The leaf sheaths are occupied bald or with hair from 0.5 to 1 mm in length, at the opening of the hairs are 1-2 mm long. The ligule is a membranous hem of 1.5 to 5 mm in length. The laminae are 2 to 10 cm long and 2-6 mm wide. In plants, humid locations, the length of 30 cm and the width to be 8 mm. The spreading are spread out flat, gray-green on both sides, matt, as well as bald or hairy.

Generative features

The flowering period extends from April to June, rarely to July. The Rispige inflorescence is 2-8 cm long, 6-15 mm wide, tight and contracted. The spikelets are dreiblütig, 6-9 mm long and broad - lanceolate shape. The glumes are very unequal, keeled, membranous, glabrous and hairy only on the keel or tight and short haired. The lower glume is einnervig, 4-6 mm long, lanceolate, the upper three is annoying, 6-9 mm long and broad - lanceolate. The two lowest petals each spikelet are sterile, their lemmas are mutually nearly equal, 3-4 mm long, narrow - elliptical, and broadly rounded at the upper end until shortly notched, with 0.6 to 1 mm long, dense hair. The lower of these lemmas is five annoying and carries on his back in the middle of a 2 to 3 mm long awn, the top four is annoying and has at the bottom a 6-9 mm long awn gekniete. The palea absent in the two sterile flowers. On the top, fertile florets is the lemma five annoying, 2 to 2.5 mm long, ovoid, smooth, shiny and bald. Your Palea is einnervig, 1.8 to 2.3 mm long and ovoid. There are two dust bag, which are 3 to 4.5 mm long.

The caryopsis is about 2 mm long and elliptical. The spikelets decay to maturity so that all three florets of the spikelet falling together from the glumes.

The chromosome number is 2n = 20, in Central Europe the species is there tetraploid.

Ecology

The Ordinary vernal grass is a clump -forming Hemikryptophyt, the deeply rooted in clay soil to 15 cm Vegetative propagation is done by long streamers. The hay has due to the formation of coumarin a characteristic hay and woodruff odor.

Ecologically flowers are wind pollination of the " Langstaubfädigen Type 2". The flowers are vorweiblich and spread despite the lack of corpora cavernosa to anthesis and self-fertile.

The caryopses are very small and tightly enclosed by the lemmas. Propagation unit multiflorous part inflorescences, which are subject to the Velcro spread through the knee -shaped permanent pen and the protruding hairs of the lower lemmas, plus they are Bohrfrüchte and are subject to because of the trapped air between husks and fruit the wind spread as a balloon pilot. They are light to germinate. Fruit ripening from June to August.

Occurrence and risk

The Ordinary vernal grass is widely used in Europe and the temperate regions of Asia. In North America and other temperate areas, there is a neophyte. The distribution area is located in the subozeanischen areas. It comes from the level prior to the mountains. In the Black Forest, it rises to altitudes of 1425 meters in the Alps until around 2000 meters

The distribution area is sparse mountain meadows, where it forms as early flowering species the Spring aspect. In addition, it grows in other meadows, in light deciduous forests, thickets, along roadsides and in fens. It prefers fresh to moderately dry, rather poor in nutrients, base-, and low in calcium, rather acidic, humus-rich loam and sandy loam soils. It is a light plant and Magerkeitszeiger.

In the phytosociological system, it is a kind of Molinio - Arrhenatheretea ( grassland communities). In addition, it also occurs in Scheuchzerio - Caricetea ( flat and fens ) and Nardo - Callunetea companies ( Bürstlingsrasen and dwarf shrubs ) and in Quercion roboris (Oak birch forests).

The Ordinary vernal grass is widespread in Central Europe, only in Mecklenburg -Vorpommern is on the Red List as endangered.

Use

The Ordinary vernal grass is a low-yield grass that is shunned by cattle because of its bitter taste and is eaten only very young. It is regarded as " inferior, formerly overrated Allerweltsgras ". Because of the smell, it is partially added ornamental grass mixtures.

Was a result of the coumarin content and it is used as a flavoring for beverages, for snuff and herbal pillows. In larger amounts, it is considered harmful.

Trivial names

For the ordinary sweet vernal grass or were, sometimes only regionally, including the names gold grass (Silesia ), lavender grass (Silesia ), Teukagras and Weidschmächen (Pinzgau ) are common.

Documents

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

• Hans Joachim Conert: Pareys grasses book. Identify and determine the grasses Germany. Blackwell, Berlin / Vienna 2000, ISBN 3-8263-3327-6, p 192