Poaceae
Cynosurus

Cynosurus cristatus L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 72 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Azores, Europe to NW. Iran. 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. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 5-75 cm long; 1-3 -noded. Leaf-sheaths without keel; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5-1.5 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blades 2-15 cm long; 1-4 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy adaxially.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle contracted; linear; secund; 1-14 cm long; 0.4-1 cm wide. Panicle branches scabrous. Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas; ovate; laterally compressed; 4-6 mm long; longer than fertile; persistent. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 6-18; exserted from glumes; 4-6 mm long (linear); muticous. Spikelets comprising 2-5 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 3-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Sterile
Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas; ovate; laterally compressed; 4-6 mm long; longer than fertile; persistent. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 6-18; exserted from glumes; 4-6 mm long (linear); muticous.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2-5 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong, or cuneate; laterally compressed; 3-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3-5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 3-5 mm long; 1-1.25 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 2 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 3-4 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous; rough above. Lemma apex obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.5-1 mm long overall. Rhachilla extension 0.1 length of fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 2 mm long. Embryo 0.1 length of caryopsis. Hilum punctiform.
Distribution
Europe: northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: Macaronesia. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Caucasus, western Asia, and China. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. North America: western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, and southeast USA. South America: Mesoamericana and southern South America. Antarctic: Subantarctic islands.
Reference
Poeae. CEH.
[GB]

Common Names

English
Crested Dog's-tail

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 2024. 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 2024. 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