Phleum

Timothy- grass ( Phleum pratense)

The timothy grass ( Phleum ) are a genus of grasses ( Poaceae ), which is native to the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. They are placed in the tribe of Poeae.

Features

The timothy grasses are annual and growing tufted or perennial with numerous stems growing herbaceous plants. The shoot formation can be carried out separately or intravaginally. Some species have a rhizome and form spurs. The stems are erect or ascending, and mehrknotig. The internodes of the stems are hollow, the nodes glabrous. The Flowers Riebe reach a height between four and 150 centimeters.

The sheaths on the stem are to the bottom free. The uppermost leaf sheath is on the vine, or is significantly inflated. The ligule is a membranous hem. The leaf blades are flat or slightly rolled, and ribbed on both sides. The vascular bundles are clearly visible as ribs, the midrib does not clearly. Sclerenchyma is always associated with the vascular bundles.

The inflorescence is a densely kopfige Rispenähre. The shape is oval to cylindrical- cylindrical. The panicle branches are free or adherent to the main axis. They are up to an inch long and richly branched. The individual spikelets are short-stalked. You are flowered with hermaphrodite flowers, and have over the florets a short axis extension ( may be absent ). The spikelet is laterally compressed. The Ährchenachse is bald, and decays to fruit ripening on the glumes. The latter are free and equal to each other. They are three to five annoying, keeled, have a spike tip and an awn. The lemmas are ( a ) three -to seven- annoying, not awned and rounded or serrated above. The palea have two keels and have embarked wide side surfaces.

There are (two) three stamens present. The ovary is ovoid, glabrous and zweigrifflig. The scars occur at flowering feathery apparent from the Blütchenspitze.

The caryopsis is oblong, terete or laterally compressed. The embryo is one-sixth to one-fourth as long as the fruit. The navel ( hilum ) is point-like and basal.

The storage carbohydrates of timothy grasses are fructans from phlein type. You are C3 plants.

The basic chromosome number is x = 7, 2n = 10 ( rare), 14, 28, or 42 The species are di -, tetra- or hexaploid.

Dissemination

The genus is distributed in the temperate regions of Eurasia and the Americas. In America, the area extends along the mountains to Chile. Often the species were also abducted. They usually grow mesophytisch and in open spots. Rarely salt locations are populated. They usually grow in meadows and on dry sites, P. arenarium in coastal dunes.

System

There are about 16 species, depending on whether families are classified as species or subspecies. Here is a list from the Germplasm Resources Information Network, supplemented by entries from the Excursion Flora of Austria

• Alpine timothy ( Phleum alpinum L.; Syn: Phleum commutatum Gaudin ); Area of ​​distribution: Eurasia, rarely naturalized in North America and Mexico in South America
• Sand timothy grass ( Phleum arenarium L.); Area of ​​distribution: Europe, North Africa, Middle East, mainly dragged along the coasts, according to the U.S.
• Bulbous timothy grass ( Phleum bertolonii DC; Syn. Phleum nodosum auct non L.. ); Area of ​​distribution: Europe, Asia, North Africa, naturalized in the United States
• Phleum boissieri Bornm.
• Phleum gibbum Boiss.
• Mat timothy grass ( Phleum hirsutum Honck. ); Area of ​​distribution: Alps, Jura, Northern Apennines, Carpathians, Balkans, Caucasus
• Phleum iranicum Bornm. & Gauba
• Phleum japonicum Franch. & Sav.
• Phleum montanum K. Koch
• Rough timothy grass panicles or timothy grass ( Phleum paniculatum Huds. ); Area of ​​distribution: Mediterranean, Western and Central Europe, Balkan Peninsula to Russia, Asia, trafficked into the United States
• Steppe timothy grass ( Phleum phleoides (L.) H. Karst, Syn. Ph. boehmeri weevil ); Area of ​​distribution: Europe, North Africa, Asia
• Timothy- grass ( Phleum pratense L.); Area of ​​distribution: Europe, Asia, North Africa, Azores, imported or introduced into North and South America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Greenland, Spitsbergen
• Graubündner timothy grass ( Phleum rhaeticum ( Humphries ) Rauschert ( syn. P. alpinum subsp rhaeticum Humphries ). );, Synanthropic Pyrenees, Alps, Sudetes, Carpathians, Apennines, the mountains of the Balkan peninsula in the Vosges: distribution area
• Pfriemliches timothy (. . Phleum subulatum ( Savi ) Asch & Graebn ), but the species is also found in the genus Tribolium; their distribution area is the Mediterranean, the Near East and North Africa, but it also occurs in Istria and Slovenia

Use

The timothy grass is an important forage grass throughout Europe and America. The bulbous timothy grass ( P. bertolonii ) is also grown as a forage grass. Both, however, tolerate treading not very good.

Allergic reaction

The timothy grass is a widespread major allergens in Inhallationsallergien. The in the heyday disseminated by the wind tiny pollen are recognized as an allergen by the immune system and can cause allergic reactions (hay fever). Since the grass is used for agriculture intense, it can be a massive burden for affected Allergy in the heyday.

Sources and further information

• Siegmund Seybold (ed.): Schmeil Fitschen - interactive ( CD -Rom ), Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2001/2002, ISBN 3-494-01327-6
• L. Watson, M. J. Dallwitz: The grass genera of the world: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval; including synonyms, morphology, anatomy, physiology, phytochemistry, cytology, classification, pathogens, world and local distribution, and references. Version: 28th November 2005 ( URL).
• Walter Erhardt et al: The big walleye. Encyclopedia of plant names. Volume 2 Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart, 2008. ISBN 978-3-8001-5406-7
• Hans Joachim Conert: Phleum. In: Gustav Hegi: Illustrated Flora of Central Europe. 3rd Edition, Volume I, Part 3, page 190-206. Verlag Paul Parey, Berlin, Hamburg, 1985. ISBN 3-489-52220-6