Dactylis glomerata L., morph (Finland, Lohja,
Hermala, 1970).
–
Image: Harri Harmaja (scanned from dried specimen).
– As
compared with typical D. glomerata (Poaceae),
the inflorescence is somewhat sparser (the lower
branches are rather long),
the inflorescence clusters are usually smaller, the spikelets are somewhat smaller and
generally with fewer (2-3)
flowers, the lemma is not hairy (aculeolate only), and the awn of the lemma is
shorter.
I know this kind of plants from some human-influenced localities in southern
Finland.
I found the pollen grains of a few plants of this kind from
southern Finland to be well-developed, broadly ovoid and about 45
µm long
(those of a typical D. glomerata plant from southern Finland, studied for
comparison, possessed roughly
similar grains but the latter were globose).
The present plant somewhat resembles D. glomerata ssp. lobata (Drejer) H.Lindb. (D.
aschersoniana Graebn., D. polygama Horv.) whose area extends to
southernmost Sweden as indigenous, somewhat northwards as introduced. The taxon is unknown in
Finland where only ssp. glomerata with hairy lemma is present. However,
the leaves of the morph presented on this page do not have the pale pure green
tinge typical of ssp. lobata, nor are the lemmas practically awnless as
they are in the latter.
Created August 27, 2004.