Stipa capillata

Hair esparto grass ( Stipa capillata )

The hair - esparto grass ( Stipa capillata ) is a species of the genus of feather grass ( Stipa ) within the Gramineae family. It is widespread in Eurasia.

Description

The hair - esparto grass is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height of 40 to 80 inches and grows in clumps. The bare, smooth stems are hairy sometimes fitting fluffy among the nodes ( more nodes ). The change-constant leaves are divided into leaf sheath and blade. The leaf sheath is grooved, smooth, glabrous, brown and shiny. The leaf blade is usually folded, smooth to rough to short hair. The ligule ( ligule ) is usually 5 to 10 (rarely up to 15) mm long, tongue-shaped.

The panicle is armblütig. The spikelets are flowered. The Bald awn is 12-20 cm long and knelt. The Bald and rough lemma is rotated in the lower part. Are formed caryopses.

The chromosome number is 2n = 44

Ecology

The flowering period is between July and August.

The fruits are spread by the wind and then burrow during water uptake by a rotational movement of the awns itself into the soil, so it is called " Bohrfrüchte ".

Occurrence and risk

The hair - esparto belongs to the continental Florenelement and occurs in West, Central and Eastern Europe and Middle East and Central Asia. His home is located in the Mediterranean region and western Asia. It reaches in the Upper Rhine and Rhone area, the West edge of his enclosure. In Central Europe it is only at the driest and warmest places ( for example in the Palatinate, the Rhine Valley between the Neckar and Moselle, at the middle Main, in the Valais and the Lower Engadine ) is present in sparse dry grass and forms at its facilities small but noticeable stocks. The hair - esparto rises to altitudes of up to 1000 feet in warm, enclosed Alpine valleys of the Southern and Eastern Alps. Nonetheless, it is very rare to find.

The hair - esparto grass growing on base-rich, nitrogen-poor soils, which become very hot in summer; it endures the consequent surface desiccation well, since it is deeply rooted.

The hair is in Germany esparto under protection; the species was locally extinct with us because it was commercially collected for dried flowers.