Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Holcus L.

Holcus mollis L.

This species is accepted, and its native range is Europe, NW. Africa. It is has environmental uses.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 20-110 cm long; 4-7 -noded. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Culm-nodes bearded. Leaf-sheaths pilose; with reflexed hairs. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-5 mm long. Leaf-blades 4-20 cm long; 3-12 mm wide; mid-green, or grey-green. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; oblong, or ovate; dense, or loose; 4-12(-22) cm long. Panicle branches pubescent. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1-4 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; (3.5-)5-7 mm long; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes elongated below proximal fertile floret. Floret callus bearded.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; (3.5-)5-7 mm long; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes elongated below proximal fertile floret. Floret callus bearded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; (3.5-)5-7 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein ciliate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface asperulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; (3.5-)5-7 mm long; 2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliate. Upper glume surface asperulous; pubescent; hairy on veins. Upper glume apex acute; mucronate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma elliptic; (2.2-)2.5-3 mm long; cartilaginous; shiny; keeled; keeled above; 5 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma surface glabrous, or puberulous; hairy above. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 1 length of lemma. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; male; elliptic; 2.5-3 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas awned; 1 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns subapical; straight; 3.5-5 mm long (exserted).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 1.6-2.7 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
Distribution
Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north and Macaronesia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. North America: western Canada, northwest USA, northeast USA, and southwest USA.
Reference
Aveneae. TAC.

[UPFC]
Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 2500–3000 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Bogotá DC, Cundinamarca.
Habit
Herb.

[CPLC]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 2500 - 3000 m.; Andes.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba

[UPFC]
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.

Native to:

Albania, Algeria, Austria, Baltic States, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Rus, Corse, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Føroyar, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Northwest European R, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey-in-Europe, Ukraine, Yugoslavia

Introduced into:

Azores, British Columbia, California, Chatham Is., Colombia, Crozet Is., Delaware, Finland, Idaho, Japan, Kerguelen, Madeira, New Hampshire, New South Wales, New York, New Zealand South, Newfoundland, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Sri Lanka, Tasmania, Vermont, Victoria, Washington

English
Creeping Soft Grass

Holcus mollis L. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Cope, T.A. [RBG 172], United Kingdom K000914529 Yes
Cope, T.A. [RBG 172], United Kingdom K000914530 Yes
Reuter, G.F. [s.n.], Spain Holcus mollis subsp. reuteri K000808911 Yes

First published in Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 1305 (1759)

Accepted by

  • Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Dassanayake (ed.) (1994). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon 8: 1-458. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. PVT. LTD., New Delhi, Calcutta.
  • Dobignard, D. & Chatelain, C. (2010). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 1: 1-455. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
  • Edgar, E & Connor, H.E. (2010). Flora of New Zealand, ed. 2, 5: 1-650. R.E.Owen, Government Printer, Wellington.
  • Fedorov, A.A. (ed.) (1999). Flora of Russia. The European part and bordering regions 1: 1-546. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, Broekfield.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2007). Flora of North America North of Mexico 24: 1-908. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • Frenot, Y., Chown, S.L., Whinam, J., Selkirk, P.M., Convey, P., Skotnicki, M. & Bergstrom,D.M. (2005). Biological invasions in the Antarctic: extent, impacts and implications. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 80: 45-72.
  • Giraldo-Cañas, D. (2011). Catálogo de la familia Poaceae en Colombia. Darwiniana 49: 139-247.
  • Iwatsuki, K., Boufford, D.E. & Ohba, H. (eds.) (2020). Flora of Japan IVa: 1-430. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.
  • Karthikeyan, S., Jain, S.K., Nayar, M.P. & Sanjappa, M. (1989). Florae Indicae Enumeratio: Monocotyledonae: 1-435. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.
  • Schäfer, H. (2021). Flora of the Azores a field guide: 1-445. Margraf Publishers GmbH.
  • Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1980). Flora Europaea 5: 1-452. Cambridge University Press.
  • Wilson, A. (ed.) (2009). Flora of Australia 44A: 1-410. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Literature

Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

  • Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Dassanayake (ed.) (1994). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon 8: 1-458. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. PVT. LTD., New Delhi, Calcutta.
  • Dobignard, D. & Chatelain, C. (2010). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 1: 1-455. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
  • Edgar, E & Connor, H.E. (2010). Flora of New Zealand, ed. 2, 5: 1-650. R.E.Owen, Government Printer, Wellington.
  • Fedorov, A.A. (ed.) (1999). Flora of Russia. The European part and bordering regions 1: 1-546. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, Broekfield.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2007). Flora of North America North of Mexico 24: 1-908. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • Frenot, Y., Chown, S.L., Whinam, J., Selkirk, P.M., Convey, P., Skotnicki, M. & Bergstrom,D.M. (2005). Biological invasions in the Antarctic: extent, impacts and implications. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 80: 45-72.
  • Giraldo-Cañas, D. (2011). Catálogo de la familia Poaceae en Colombia. Darwiniana 49: 139-247.
  • Iwatsuki, K., Boufford, D.E. & Ohba, H. (eds.) (2020). Flora of Japan IVa: 1-430. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.
  • Tutin, T.G. & al. (eds.) (1980). Flora Europaea 5: 1-452. Cambridge University Press.
  • Wilson, A. (ed.) (2009). Flora of Australia 44A: 1-410. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

  • Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R., & Celis, M. (eds.). (2020). Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia. v1.1. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Dataset/Checklist. https://doi.org/10.15472/7avdhn
  • Diazgranados et al. (2021). Catalogue of plants of Colombia. Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia project. In prep.
  • Diazgranados, M., Allkin, B., Black N., Cámara-Leret, R., Canteiro C., Carretero J., Eastwood R., Hargreaves S., Hudson A., Milliken W., Nesbitt, M., Ondo, I., Patmore, K., Pironon, S., Turner, R., Ulian, T. (2020). World Checklist of Useful Plant Species. Produced by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity.
  • GRIN (2021). Germplasm Resources Information Network from the United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.ars-grin.gov/

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    Common Names from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Living Collection https://www.kew.org/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0