Poaceae
Aegilops

Aegilops tauschii Coss.

First published in Notes Pl. Crit.: 69 (1849)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Krym to E. Türkiye and China (Shaanxi, Henan). It is an annual and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Seed Collecting Guide. RBG Kew (2013-2016)

Morphology General Habit
Culms often densely tufted, 18-30(-60) cm high, erect or geniculately ascending
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate, auricles falcate Leaf-blades glabrous or sparsely hairy, up to 17 cm long, 2-6 mm wide
Morphology Leaves Ligules
Ligule an eciliate membrane
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Spikes 5-10 cm long (excluding the awns), cylindrical, with 0(-2) vestigial spikelets at the base rhachis breaking up at internodes at maturity
Fertile
Fertile spikelets 5-13, glumes of lateral spikelets 5-7.5 mm long, truncate, with a short, very blunt tooth on the upper margin, awns of terminal spikelet shorter than the spike Fertile lemma oblong, or ovate, 6-7 mm long, coriaceous, not keeled, 5 -veined, apex entire, truncate, sometimes awned
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Equal, shorter than spikelet, oblong, 5-6 mm long, coriaceous, not keeled, 7-9 -veined, venation ribbed, apex with a unilateral tooth, truncate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Lemma
Principal lemma awn 30-40 mm long, those of lower spikelets if present up to18 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Palea
Palea 2 -veined, keels scaberulous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex.
Ecology
A wide range of habitats including: grasslands, fallow ground, steppes, wastelands, roadsides, within cultivation, forests, stony slopes. Altitude: 1300 - 2700 m.
Conservation
Least concerned.
Phenology
Flower (May-July), fruit (May-July).
Distribution
Eastern Europe, Central and Western Asia, from the Caucasus to India and China.
[SCG]

Morphology General Habit
Annual; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 25-30 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 8-17 cm long; 3-5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; glabrous, or pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes; not deciduous as a whole. Racemes 1; single; linear; smoothly terete; bilateral; 5-10 cm long; 5-8 mm wide; bearing 9-11 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis fragile at the nodes. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Rhachis internodes oblong; falling with spikelet above. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Basal sterile spikelets absent, or rudimentary; 0-2 in number. Spikelets comprising 3-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6-8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Sterile
Basal sterile spikelets absent, or rudimentary; 0-2 in number.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 3-5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6-8 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 5-6 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; coriaceous; without keels; 7-9 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins unequally thickened; ribbed. Lower glume apex with a unilateral tooth; truncate. Upper glume oblong; 5-6 mm long; 0.8-0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; without keels; 7-9 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins unequally thickened; ribbed; parallel at apex. Upper glume apex with a unilateral tooth; truncate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma oblong, or ovate; 6-7 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex entire; truncate; awned, or awned only on distal spikelets; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn subterete below; 30-40 mm long overall (lower spikelets 0-18). Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2. Ovary pubescent on apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex. Disseminule comprising a rhachis internode.
Distribution
Europe: eastern. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, and China. Asia-tropical: India.
Reference
Triticeae. Fl Turk 1993.
[GB]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/172086/19390065

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Common Names

english
goat grass

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Kew's Living Collection Database

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Seed Collection Guides

    • Seed Collection Guides
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0