Molinia caerulea
Purple moor grass ( Molinia caerulea), height 1.20 meters
The Blue moor grass ( Molinia caerulea ) is a species from the genus of grasses pipes within the Gramineae family. Other common names are ordinary moor grass, Little moor grass, broom Ried, Benthalm or Bentgras. The name broom Ried is because have been committed under the stalks broom; Benthalm points to use in tying in, among others, of vines. In Northern Germany is usually simply by " purple moor grass " (or Bentgras ) spoken, as the other Central European species of the genus Molinia, the pipe - moor grass, does not occur there.
Description
The Blue moor grass is a perennial, often forming large clumps, quite multifaceted grass that forms numerous, outside of the lowest leaf sheaths up awake renewal rung. The plant height is 50 to 100 centimeters. Since the stalks have only the base node of the stem base acts onion-like thickened. The leaf sheaths are 3-8 (10 ) mm wide. The flower spikes are 5-50 inches long and are usually strong blue violet; the spikelets are two to fünfblütig. Moor grass blooms from July to September.
The chromosome number is 2n = 36, but it is a form rich polyploid complex, the system is not yet sufficiently clarified.
Ecology
The Blue moor grass is a summer - to winter green Horst plant. For the ' tillering ' to form new plants. Individual, short internodes swell and serve as storage organs in the form of reserve cellulose. There have following drought adaptations emerged: The root is up to one meter in depth, the leaves curl up with lack of water. But there are also adaptations to nutrient habitats such as on fen meadows: the plant relocated in autumn the minerals in the shoot base, so they are not lost when mowing. In an early mowing the plant but is pushed back. It Is VA -mycorrhiza before, which is relatively rare in grasses.
Unusually, the blue moor grass is able to actively set against insects for military who want to eat the flower. The husks are excited and can close very quickly, while they catch the insect, similar to a leghold trap. One advantage, apart from the protection of the flower, but does not pull the plant from the catcher.
The flowers are wind-pollinated by Langstaubfädigen type " and even sterile. Blooms from July to September.
The fruits are Spelzfrüchte with air entrainment by wind propagation is possible as balloonists and wind spreaders, as well as floating spread. Fruit ripening is from August to September.
Vegetative propagation is done sometimes by underground runners, as well as converted into leafy shoots Ährchenanlagen. It is therefore a so-called Pseudoviviparie.
Location, distribution
The Ordinary moor grass grows on damp, wet-dry to change eating, nutrient-poor and moderately acidic sites with sandy and peat soils ( peat ). In wet meadows, (partially) drained moors, heathland and poorer in light deciduous and coniferous woodland sites is common. It is the eponymous Kennart the phytosociological order of the moor grass - litter meadows ( Molinion caeruleae ).
In Germany the species is common in lime-poor regions and disseminated; It rises in the Black Forest up to 1280 meters and in the Alps up to 2500 meters.
Use
The Blue moor grass is a valuable plant litter, but poor food plant, tall-growing families have recently been offered as ornamental plants for gardens.
For centuries, the long, hard, knotless straws were used to clean the long tobacco pipes, hence the name.
Cultivars
- ' Moorhexe ' (up to 90 cm height flowers for natural plantings )
- ' Radiation source ' ( strong stalks, also bears snow load )
- 'Variegata' (up to 50 cm high, white colored cultivar, flower dark brown)