Hierochloë australis (Schrad.) Roem. & Schult.,
three morphs from Finland: the common morph with brownish violet tinge in the
panicle (Lohja, Osuniemi, 1986; on the left),
a morph
with green panicle (Lohja, Osuniemi, 1986; in the middle), and a morph with
acuminate glumes (Lammi, Untulanharju, 1994; on the right).
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Image: Harri Harmaja (scanned from dried specimens).
–
The above brownish and green plants, collected quite near-by, were at a rather
early stage of development, before the anthesis. H. australis (Poaceae)
of Finland mostly has brownish tinge to its inflorescence, plants with green
panicles being rather infrequent. These two morphs also display some additional,
minor differences; e.g., the anthers are pale brownish in the brown morph but
yellow in the green morph. Some measurements of the pollen grains showed them to
be ca. 28-43
µm
in diametre in the species, those of the green morph tending to be slightly
smaller on the average. However, it remains to be studied whether the above
differentiation, detected in a few populations, is traceable in a wider
material.
The right-hand plants in the image are truly deviating from
the bulk of Finnish H. australis through their acuminate (vs. short-acute)
glumes. Additional differences include a more contracted panicle and more acute
lemmas as well as later flowering (unless the morph is sterile?).
One more observation: the (brownish-panicled) plants of a
stand (Finland, Lammi, Jahkola, 1998) possessed a distinct additional smell
besides the normal coumarine scent. A rather strong, disagreeable smell
resembling that of Stachys sylvatica (Lamiaceae) was present in fresh
plants (due to the
activities of some endophytic fungus?).
Created September 13, 2004.