Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Deschampsia P.Beauv.

Deschampsia antarctica É.Desv.

This species is accepted, and its native range is S. South America to Antarctica.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial; cushion forming. Culms 10-30 cm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 4-8 mm long; acuminate. Leaf-blades filiform; convolute; 2.5-3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; not deciduous as a whole, or deciduous as a whole; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf, or enclosed. Panicle open, or contracted; lanceolate, or pyramidal; 5-20 cm long. Panicle branches capillary; puberulous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels puberulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2-3 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 5-7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; 1-1.3 mm long; pilose. Floret callus pilose. Floret callus hairs 0.33 length of lemma.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2-3 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 5-7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; 1-1.3 mm long; pilose. Floret callus pilose. Floret callus hairs 0.33 length of lemma.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; similar to fertile lemma in texture; shiny. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein ciliolate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 2-2.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliolate. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma oblong; 2.5-3 mm long; membranous; shiny; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough above. Lemma apex dentate; 4 -fid; with outer lobes longer; with lobes 0.5 mm long; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn dorsal; arising 0.25-0.33 way up back of lemma; straight, or geniculate; 3.5-5.5 mm long overall; clearly exserted from spikelet; without a column, or with a straight or slightly twisted column. Rhachilla extension pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 2; membranous. Anthers 3; 0.4-0.5 mm long; retained within floret. Ovary glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; 1-1.2 mm long; dark brown. Hilum punctiform.
Distribution
South America: southern South America. Antarctic: Subantarctic islands and Antarctic continent.
Reference
Aveneae. Fl Pat 1995.

Native to:

Antarctica, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile South, Crozet Is., Falkland Is., Heard-McDonald Is., Kerguelen, South Georgia, South Sandwich Is.

Deschampsia antarctica É.Desv. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Charcot [s.n.], Antarctica K000703456
Siple [336], Antarctica K000703468
Eights, J. [2], Antarctica K000307868 Unknown type material
Hooker, J.D. [10], Falkland Is. K000307869
Argentina K000308344
Eights, J. [2], Antarctica K000951548 Unknown type material
Hooker, J.D. [763], Kerguelen K000975167 Unknown type material
Lewis, R. [819], Falkland Is. K000299686
Lechler, W. [1220], Argentina K000308343

First published in C.Gay, Fl. Chil. 6: 338 (1854)

Accepted by

  • Chastain, A. (1961). La flore et la végétation des Iles Kerguelen Mémoires du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Serie B. Botanique 11: 1-136.
  • Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • George, A.S., Orchard, A.E. & Hewson, H.J. (eds.) (1993). Oceanic islands 2 Flora of Australia 50: 1-606. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
  • Zuloaga, F.O., Morrone, O. , Belgrano, M.J., Marticorena, C. & Marchesi, E. (eds.) (2008). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares del Cono Sur Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 1-3348. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Zuloaga, F.O., Morrone, O. , Belgrano, M.J., Marticorena, C. & Marchesi, E. (eds.) (2008). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares del Cono Sur Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 1-3348. Missouri Botanical Garden.

  • 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