Avenella flexuosa (L.) Drejer

First published in Fl. Excurs. Hafn.: 32 (1838)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Europe to Japan and Malesian Mountains, Macaronesia, NW. & Tropical Montane Africa, Greenland to Central & E. U.S.A., S. South America to Falkland Islands. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

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]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes absent, or elongated. Culms erect; 20-200 cm long; wiry; 1-3 -noded. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths smooth, or scaberulous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5-3 mm long; obtuse. Leaf-blades filiform; involute; 5-20 cm long; 0.3-0.8 mm wide; stiff. Leaf-blade apex abruptly acute, or acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; effuse; 4-15 cm long; 3-20 cm wide. Panicle branches capillary; scabrous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; 3-10 mm long; scabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 4-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes definite; pilose. Floret callus pilose.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 4-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes definite; pilose. Floret callus pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets; similar to fertile lemma in texture; shiny. Lower glume ovate; 3-5 mm long; 0.8-0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 4-6 mm long; 1.1-1.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1-3 -veined. Upper glume surface smooth, or asperulous. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma oblong; 3.5-5.5 mm long; membranous; shiny; without keel; 4 -veined. Lemma apex erose; truncate, or obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn dorsal; arising 0.2 way up back of lemma; geniculate; 4-7 mm long overall; with twisted column. Palea keels scaberulous. Rhachilla extension 0.3-0.4 length of fertile floret; pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 2-3 mm long. Ovary glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 2-2.5 mm long. Hilum punctiform.
Distribution
Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet far east, Caucasus, western Asia, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: New Zealand. North America: Subarctic, eastern Canada, north-central USA, northeast USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana and southern South America. Antarctic: Subantarctic islands.
Reference
Aveneae. CEH.
[GB]

Common Names

English
Wavy Hair-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/
  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. 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 Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. 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