Family:
Poaceae Barnhart

Alopecurus L.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Temp. & Subtropical.

[GB]

nonem

Morphology General Habit
Annual (16), or perennial (26). Rhizomes absent (23), or short (7), or elongated (10). Stolons absent (39), or present (1). Culms erect (25/36), or geniculately ascending (19/36), or decumbent (5/36); 3-30.77-120 cm long; without nodal roots (2/4), or rooting from lower nodes (3/4). Lateral branches lacking (2/3), or sparse (2/3). Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades filiform (3), or linear (38); stiff (1), or firm (38), or flaccid (1); without exudate (39), or pruinose (1).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; subtended by an unspecialized leaf-sheath (18), or an inflated leaf-sheath (25); exserted (37), or embraced at base by subtending leaf (5). Peduncle cylindrical at apex (1/2), or tipped by a glumaceous appendage (1/2). Panicle spiciform (37), or glomerate (1), or capitate (6). Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels linear (1), or oblong (39).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate (1), or elliptic (16), or oblong (24), or ovate (2); laterally compressed; 1.8-4.281-8.5 mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate (1), or elliptic (16), or oblong (24), or ovate (2); laterally compressed; 1.8-4.281-8.5 mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes free (5), or connate along margins below (36); shorter than spikelet (4), or reaching apex of florets (17), or exceeding apex of florets (22); parallel to lemmas (29), or recurved at apex (12). Lower glume linear (1), or lanceolate (19), or elliptic (4), or oblong (15), or ovate (2); not gibbous (39), or gibbous (1); 1-1.002-1.1 length of upper glume; membranous (37), or cartilaginous (2), or coriaceous (1); 1-keeled; wingless (34), or winged on keel (6); 1 -veined (1), or 3 -veined (39). Lower glume lateral veins absent (1), or distinct (39). Lower glume surface glabrous (12), or puberulous (1), or pubescent (10), or pilose (13), or villous (2), or hispidulous (1), or hispid (1). Lower glume apex truncate (2), or obtuse (8), or acute (24), or acuminate (6), or attenuate (1), or setaceously attenuate (2), or cuspidate (1); muticous (27), or mucronate (6), or awned (10). Upper glume linear (1), or lanceolate (18), or elliptic (5), or oblong (15), or ovate (2); not gibbous (39), or gibbous (1); 0.8-1.101-1.7 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous (37), or cartilaginous (2), or coriaceous (1); with undifferentiated margins (38), or hyaline margins (2); 1-keeled; wingless (34), or winged on keel (6); 1 -veined (1), or 3 -veined (39). Upper glume primary vein eciliate (1), or ciliolate (5), or ciliate (34). Upper glume lateral veins convergent at apex (1/1). Upper glume surface glabrous (12), or puberulous (1), or pubescent (10), or pilose (13), or villous (2), or hispidulous (1), or hispid (1). Upper glume apex truncate (2/39), or obtuse (9/39), or acute (22/39), or acuminate (6/39), or attenuate (1/39), or setaceously attenuate (2/39), or cuspidate (1/39); muticous (27), or mucronate (6), or awned (10); 1 -awned (10/10).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate (2), or elliptic (5), or oblong (20), or ovate (14); membranous; keeled; 3 -veined (2), or 4 -veined (8), or 5 -veined (30). Lemma lateral veins obscure (1/1). Lemma surface glabrous (34), or puberulous (1), or pubescent (3), or pilose (2); without hair tufts (39), or with conspicuous apical hairs (1). Lemma margins free (8), or connate below (33); eciliate (38), or ciliolate (2), or ciliate (1). Lemma apex entire (38), or erose (2); truncate (20), or obtuse (13), or acute (7), or acuminate (1), or attenuate (1); without ornament (39), or pubescent (1); muticous (3), or awned (38); 1 -awned (38/38). Principal lemma awn dorsal (38/38); straight (14/38), or curved (4/38), or geniculate (24/38). Palea present (15), or absent or minute (26); 0.5-0.6375-0.9 length of lemma; 1 -veined (6/6); 1-keeled (4/15), or 2-keeled (11/15). Palea keels eciliate (13/15), or ciliate (2/15).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules absent (39/39). Anthers 2 (1/39), or 3 (38/39). Stigmas plumose (4), or pubescent (36). Ovary glabrous (36/36).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp (37/37). Embryo 0.25 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform (36/36).
Distribution
Europe (15), or Africa (7), or Temperate Asia (34), or Tropical Asia (7), or Australasia (4), or Pacific (1), or North America (8), or South America (8), or Antarctica (1).

Native to:

Afghanistan, Alabama, Alaska, Albania, Alberta, Aleutian Is., Algeria, Altay, Amur, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Arizona, Arkansas, Assam, Austria, Azores, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, British Columbia, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, California, Central European Rus, Chile Central, Chile South, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Chita, Colombia, Colorado, Connecticut, Corse, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Delaware, Denmark, District of Columbia, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, East Himalaya, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Falkland Is., Finland, Florida, France, Føroyar, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Inner Mongolia, Iowa, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Japan, Kamchatka, Kansas, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Kriti, Krym, Kuril Is., Labrador, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Louisiana, Magadan, Maine, Manchuria, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Northwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Mongolia, Montana, Morocco, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Nebraska, Nepal, Netherlands, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Newfoundland, North Carolina, North Caucasus, North Dakota, North European Russi, Northwest European R, Northwest Territorie, Norway, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pakistan, Palestine, Pennsylvania, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Prince Edward I., Qinghai, Québec, Romania, Sakhalin, Sardegna, Saskatchewan, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, South Carolina, South Dakota, South European Russi, South Georgia, Spain, Svalbard, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Tennessee, Texas, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Ukraine, Uruguay, Utah, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Himalaya, West Siberia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Xinjiang, Yakutskiya, Yugoslavia, Yukon

Introduced into:

Antipodean Is., Bermuda, Canary Is., Chatham Is., Crozet Is., Gulf of Guinea Is., Kerguelen, Malaya, Marion-Prince Edward, Mexico Northeast, New Caledonia, New South Wales, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Queensland, Rhode I., Senegal, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Alopecurus L. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
s.coll. [Cat. no. 3780], India K001119990
Wallich, N. [Cat. no. 3780], India K001119991
Wallich, N. [Cat. no. 3780], Nepal K001119992

First published in Sp. Pl.: 60 (1753)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R.H.A. (2011). World checklist of selected plant families published update Facilitated by the Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

  • 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 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