Dactylis glomerata

Cocksfoot ( Dactylis glomerata )

The ordinary orchard grass ( Dactylis glomerata ), and meadow orchard grass or cocksfoot, is a plant of the family Gramineae ( Poaceae ). It is one of the hemicryptophytes. As an important pasture and Heugras it has an economic importance for humans.

Identifying

The ordinary orchard grass is a gray- green colored, strong, growing in clumps, perennial, herbaceous plant, which reaches stature heights of up to 120 centimeters. Its leaves are 4-10 mm wide, with the top projecting upright.

The panicle is narrow, both before and after the heyday, otherwise often fanned out wide and forms a triangular outline. It is - in contrast to the forest - orchard grass - strong geknäult, with a far abstehendem lower branch, which is contracted later and upright peak. The spikelets are three-to fünfblütig. The glume is massive, not translucent, colored green, reddish, rarely purple. The lower glume is einnervig. The keel of the upper glume and the lemma is covered with long and short stiff hairs. The lemma is mostly occupied over the entire surface with long hairs and narrowed suddenly in a clear, on the lower flowers one to two millimeters long awn.

Detail

Ecology

The plant is wind-pollinated from " Langstaubfädigen type". The pollen often causes hay fever. The flowers are self-sterile, rarely pseudovivipar ie in inflorescence buds hatching serving the vegetative propagation form. Bloom time is from May to July.

The propagation serve surrounded by the palea and lemma ciliated caryopses ( = Spelzfrüchte ) subject in addition to the Velcro dissemination and the swimming and wind propagation. In addition, a random distribution over the hay and pasture forage takes place. Fruit ripening is between August and October. The plant is a winter stem and light to germinate.

Occurrence

The plant is widely used in Europe and western Asia and flowers from May to July, in the whole of Germany. Above all, it is on meadows, found on roadsides, waste places, forest edges and forest impacts.

She prefers fresh, nutrient -rich soils and is a nitrogen pointer. When eutrophication is a competitor of many herbs and thus contributes to the " greening " of the mowed fields. Regular early silage or Heunutzung the orchard grass, on the other hand, pushed back, with weeds and especially dock increase.

System

The ordinary orchard grass was first published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum.

The subspecies Dactylis glomerata subsp. rigida ( Boiss & Heldr. ) Hayek is endemic to Crete. It grows in hedgehog cushion heath at altitudes from 1400 to 2400 meters. The stalks are thick, short and very stiff. The panicle is cylindrical, oblong- narrow and spike- shaped. The ball has 1 to 3 ears, which are 5-7 mm long. The glumes are glabrous, dull and very mucronate.

Use

The hay from the stalks has only a conditional fodder structural value. Valuable, however, are the leafy outgrowths. Since the orchard grass forms clumps strong, creates a patchy vegetation that is little appreciated in pastures.

Diseases

Cocksfoot is infested with ergot fungus.