Cynosurus

Meadow grass comb ( Cynosurus cristatus)

The comb grasses ( Cynosurus ) are a genus of the family Gramineae ( Poaceae ).

Features

The comb grasses are annuals or perennials. The culms are erect or geniculate - ascending.

In the renewal shoots the leaf sheaths are fused almost to the top, tear easily. The Halmblättern the leaf sheaths are open, smooth and bare to the bottom. The ligule is a membranous hem. The leaf blades are 1-6 mm wide, flat. In the vernation it is rolled together.

The inflorescence is a very dense, elongated, egg - shaped head or Ährenrispe. It is usually einseitswendig. The spikelets are short-stemmed and have two to five, rarely only one flower, all of which are hermaphroditic. The spikelets are compressed from 3 to 10 millimeters long and laterally. Below each spikelet is a comb-shaped shell, which is a sterile spikelets with empty husks. Several ( sterile and fertile ) spikelets are too short stalked Ährchengruppen together. These groups are at the side of the main axis. The glumes are almost the same, einnervig, pointed, keeled and membranous to zarthäutig. The lemmas are three to five annoying derbhäutig. Above they are pointed or rounded or notched, with a short spike tip or more usually awned. The palea are two annoying and about as long as the lemmas. Above them are short bicuspid, their keels are rough.

There are three stamens. The ovary is ovoid and bare. The two short stylus are terminally and wearing feathery scars.

The florets fall when ripe individually from the glumes, which are to remain. The fruit ( caryopsis ) is bare and hangs on the palea. The embryo is very small and takes only about one- eighth of the fruit length. The navel is punctiform.

Dissemination

The genus has its diversity center in North Africa, four of the eight species are more widespread and occur also in Europe and Southwest Asia.

System

Within the family Poaceae genus in the subfamily Pooideae, tribe and subtribe Poeae is provided Poinae. It includes the following types:

  • Cynosurus balansae Coss. & Durieu, is only found in Morocco and Algeria.
  • Cynosurus coloratus Steud. , Syn Cynosurus callitrichus Barbey, occurs in Libya, Egypt, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel, an indication of Crete is doubtful.
  • Meadow grass comb ( Cynosurus cristatus L.); Home: Europe and Western Asia, naturalized in East Asia, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
  • Bristlecone comb grass ( Cynosurus echinatus L.) on the Atlantic Islands, Western Europe, the Mediterranean and eastward to central Asia.
  • Cynosurus effusus Link (syn. Cynosurus elegans auct non Desf. . ), Origin: Canary Islands, Madeira, Mediterranean eastwards to Iran.
  • Cynosurus elegans Desf, home. Northern Africa from Morocco to Libya.
  • Cynosurus junceus Murb. , Occurs only in Libya.
  • Cynosurus peltieri Maire, occurs only in Algeria and Tunisia.
  • Cynosurus polybracteatus Poir. , Occurs only in Algeria and Tunisia.

Documents

  • Siegmund Seybold (ed.): Schmeil - Fitschen interactive. CD -ROM, Version 1.1, Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2002, ISBN 3-494-01327-6.
  • Walter Erhardt, Erich Götz, Nils Boedeker, Siegmund Seybold: The big walleye. Encyclopedia of plant names. Volume 2 species and varieties. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8001-5406-7, p 1346.
  • Thomas Gaskell Tutin: Cynosurus L. In: TG Tutin, VH Heywood, NA Burges, DM Moore, DH Valentine, SM Walters, DA Webb ( eds.): Flora Europaea. Volume 5: Alismataceae to Orchidaceae ( Monocotyledones ), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1980, ISBN 0 - 521-20108 -X, pp. 171-172 ( limited preview on Google Book Search ).
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