Arrhenatherum elatius

Common oat grass ( Arrhenatherum elatius )

The Ordinary oat grass ( Arrhenatherum elatius ), also known as French ryegrass, is a common member of the family Gramineae ( Poaceae ) belonging meadow grass. It includes the subspecies Arrhenatherum elatius subsp. bulbosum and Arrhenatherum elatius subsp. elatius.

Description

The oat grass is a perennial herbaceous plant and grows in loose clumps that reach heights of growth between 50 and 150 centimeters. It drives very early and strong from the spring. He is usually no foothills, rarely very short rhizomes. The roots are yellowish. The smooth, erect, few if any outstretched stems are quite strong with three to five knots. Sheaths are rounded on the back, also smooth and sometimes sparsely hairy at the nodes or only rough. In the subspecies A. elatius subsp. bulbosus are thickened the nodes of the Halmgrundes onion or rosary -like. The ligule ( ligules ) are usually entire, sometimes fringed and about 1 to 3 millimeters long. The leaf blades are like the leaf sheaths strongly green, 5 to 10 mm wide and up to 40 inches long. They are flat, narrowly acuminate, very loosely hairy or completely bald. You feel on the edge and on the surface of rough.

The inflorescences are in outline oblong- lanceolate, erect or slightly nodding panicles. They are loose or slightly denser contracted, shiny crowded green or purplish. They grow to 30 inches long. The rough panicle branches are of unequal length in clusters along the main axis. The zweiblütigen, rarely three to vierblütigen spikelets are oblong with 7-11 mm long pedicels. The bottom flower is purely male, the upper one is bisexual. The glumes are membranous and pointed. The bottom is einnervig and significantly shorter than the top three annoying. The narrow - oval, pointed, seven annoying lemmas reach about 8 to 10 millimeters in length. They are round on the back. The lower lemma is awned long. The awn is grown 10 to 16 millimeters long and the lemma about one-third. The upper lemma is awnless, possibly accompanied by a short bristle near the top. The palea keels have very finely hairy. The three anthers ( anthers ) are 4-5 millimeters long. The main flowering period is the period from May to June; nachblühende plants can be found until September.

The fruits ( caryopses ) are hairy and enveloped by the lemma.

Panicle

Ligule

Ecology

The Ordinary oat grass is a Hemikryptophyt (Horst grass) and a deep-rooting. The Ordinary oat grass is strongly promoted by eutrophication. After strong fertilization, as has become the norm in recent decades, originally known smaller species are no longer competitive after only 2 years. This reflects the oat grass to a questionable reduction of biodiversity at. Despite today's wide distribution and abundance of Common oat grass is not in Germany ( or at most local) native. Rather, it is a neophyte who has come to be only at the beginning of the modern era in Germany. In the 19th century the species was not yet widespread throughout Germany. Probably our deposits ultimately go on sowing seeds back with French ( "French ryegrass ").

The Ordinary oat grass is a long-day plant with a main flowering period from May to June. It is self- sterile, is pollinated by the wind, is a strong hay fever virus and belongs to the " Langstaubfädigen Type".

Propagation unit is surrounded by deck and palea caryopsis with an attached rest of the male flower and its awn. Such propagation units are called Spelzfrüchte; they are air trapped specific light, which the wind spread favors. In addition, random distribution is carried out by grazing livestock Klettausbrietung because of the awn and self- propagation by drilling the hygroscopic awn korkenzieheratig convoluted into the ground. Fruit ripening takes place from June to September. The plant is a light to germinate. Vegetative propagation is possible by underground runners.

Etymology

The scientific name is derived from the Greek arrhén means male, ather, awn atéros means and refers to the long guard hairs of the male flowers cover. The specific epithet is Latin origin ( elatior means higher). The German variant "French ryegrass " comes from the French origin of the seed in the 19th century. " Ryegrass " corresponds to the English ryegrass ( " rye grass ").

Another German -language common names are been or, in some cases only regionally, including the following terms related: Bättligras ( Switzerland ), oat grass, Knöpfligras (Bern), claws grass (Bern), ryegrass ( Switzerland ), Zehligras (Bern), Zehliperle (Bern) and Zötteleschwalm (Bern).

Distribution and location

The Ordinary oat grass is common in the temperate climates of Europe and western Asia from the plains to middle mountain ranges ( max. 1450 m). After North America, Australia and New Zealand, he was brought. This type is most widely used to frequent in Germany to the north, however, rare. It grows in hay meadows, on the hedges and walls, embankments and roadsides. The soils are moderately dry to fresh or alternately moist, nutrient- rich, often calcareous and sandy- loamy. The climatic emphasis in warm, arid locations, while rough and late frost sensitive documents will be avoided. Oat grass can withstand only a low shading.

The Ordinary oat is the Kennart the plant communities of the Association of oat grass meadows ( Arrhenatherion elatioris ).

Use

An economic importance of oat as profitable Mähgras for hay. Green fodder but he will reluctantly eaten by cattle, as it tastes bitter due to saponins. For Frequent cutting and a stronger grazing he does not stand up. For the sowing of meadows on something dry sites but the grass is indispensable, as there is hardly another grass with drought coping so well.