Dactylis

Cocksfoot ( Dactylis glomerata )

The ball grasses or Knaulgräser ( Dactylis ) are a genus of the family Gramineae ( Poaceae ).

Features

The representatives of the ball grasses are perennial, clump -like grasses growing renovation with numerous branches. The stems have multiple nodes, even above downward, they are bare and rough below the panicle. The leaf sheaths are fused at the renewal shoots at least in the lower half, laterally compressed and keeled. The ligule is a membranous hem. The leaf blades are flat to curled, with a keel. In the vernation the sheets are folded.

The inflorescence is a panicle, the spikelets are entangled - bunched at the top of the side branches. The branches are projecting to erect, lobed and slightly einseitswendig. The spikelets have 2-6 flowers, all are hermaphroditic. The spikelets are 4-8 mm long, laterally compressed and of a greenish to violet color. The ears axis is bald hairy to very short. The two glumes are keeled, shorter than the spikelet and unequal: the lower is einnervig, the top three annoying as well as longer and wider than the lower. The lemmas are five annoying, keeled and carry a spike tip or short awn. They are about as long as the upper glume and membranous. The palea are two annoying zarthäutig and shorter than the lemmas. There are three stamens. The ovary is bald and wears two short terminal stylus with kurzfedrigen scars.

The caryopses are bald. The navel is punctiform. The florets fall to fruit maturity of individually while the glumes stop.

System

The genus grasses ball is placed in the subfamily Pooideae, tribe Poeae within the grasses. It consists of about 6 species. In Central Europe, two species occur:

• Cocksfoot ( Dactylis glomerata L.); Home: Eurasia, North Africa, South Africa, North and South America, naturalized
• Forest - orchard grass ( Dactylis polygama Horv. ); Home: Europe

The etymology of the genus name is not fully understood. Dactylis derives either from the Greek dactylos = finger, which would relate to the protruding branches of the panicle; or dactylis of latin, a grape variety, which would relate to the coiled to the Rispenast ends spikelets.

Documents

• Siegmund Seybold (ed.): Schmeil Fitschen - interactive ( CD -Rom ), Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2001/2002, ISBN 3-494-01327-6
• Walter Erhardt et al: The big walleye. Encyclopedia of plant names. Volume 2 Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart, 2008. ISBN 978-3-8001-5406-7