Panicum capillare
Haarästige proso millet ( Panicum capillare )
The Haarästige proso millet ( Panicum capillare ) or Haarstielige millet belongs to the genus Rispenhirsen ( Panicum ). In Lakota, the type is called Wakan Peji what can be translated as " powerful herb". The name has received since it summer in lean times is often the only type of grass still green on the prairie the way.
Description
The Haarästige proso millet is an annual, usually growing in clumps Süßgrasart. The stalks reach a height of 20 to 75 centimeters and form three to five nodes and branch out to the lower nodes. At and below the nodes are densely covered with papillae on seated, 2 to 4 millimeters long hair. The leaf sheaths are also occupied with 2 to 4 millimeters long hair warts. The ligule is designed as a 1 to 1.5 millimeters long dense lashes. The leaf blade is 10 to 25 inches long and 4 to 12 millimeters wide and is also occupied in the lower area with warts hair, but the upper side sparsely hairy. Both leaf pages are rough. The panicle is ovate or oblong, loose and wide- spread, about 10 to 30 centimeters long and 6-15 centimeters wide and takes about 1 /3 of the stem length a. The side branches are slightly branched, spikelets sit at the ends of side branches. The Ährchenstiele are thin, short haired and are about 20 millimeters long. The spikelets are two flowered, 2,4 to 3 millimeters long, narrow -elliptic and pointed. They fall with maturity from as a whole. The lower glume is glabrous, three - to five annoying and has about one third to half the length of the spikelets. The upper glume is also bald, seven annoying and the same length as the spikelet. The lemma of the lower floret sterile nine is annoying and is similar to the upper glume. The palea may be absent or otherwise reaches about 2/3 the length of the lemma. The lemma of the upper floret hermaphrodite is 2 to 2.4 millimeters long and is smooth, glabrous and shiny. The dust bags are from 0.8 to 1.2 millimeters in length, the fruit is slightly smaller than the lemma. Bloom time is from June to August. What is striking is the contrast of immature and mature panicles: while the immature are still wrapped buquet -like of the top sheet and flags hanging out of there like a horse's tail, the mature panicle stands stiff, branched bushy and in many cases, to the top.
The chromosome number is 2n = 18
Distribution and habitat requirements
The natural range extends across the continental United States and Canada, however, does not extend into the northernmost regions. It is a typical grass of the prairie, which is especially found in South Dakota, in the west of North America but is less common. It is a characteristic plant of the Great Plains, where the millet grows interspersed with buffalo grass stocks. They can be found on wasteland, Farmer courtyards, poor soil and trampled roadsides, where it is virtually unrivaled because of their toughness.
The species is native to Europe and Russia has become, on the West Indies, South America, North Africa, Pakistan and India. In Central Europe it is often fickle, but is often planted as an ornamental grass and wild. The species was introduced but been around for about 100 years of grain, wool and clover seed and abducted with seeds and potting soil. In Central Europe is also the way in gardens and parks, on dumps and railway stations, in maize fields and on sand and gravel along river banks. It spreads in the warmer areas further and applies in corn fields as a weed.
Ecology
This one-year grass is extremely tough and drought tolerant. Grazing cattle and horses disdain millet, once this seed has set. Characterized the quality of hay is impaired. On the other hand, may represent no serious competition in an area with healthy, perennial sod the occurrence of proso millet. Floor living or plant -visiting birds, about Goldzeisige, feed on the seeds.