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shortawn foxtail

Scientific Name: Alopecurus aequalis

Family: Poaceae

Category: Monocot

Growth: Graminoid

Duration: Perennial

Other Names: CT (orange foxtail)

       

Shortawn Foxtail (Alopecurus aequalis)

Considerations for Pets

  • This plant is a grass, and grasses can occasionally cause digestive upset if ingested in large quantities by pets.
  • The plant's awn (bristle-like appendage) could potentially cause irritation if it comes into contact with a pet's skin or mucous membranes.

Considerations for Children

  • The plant's awn (bristle-like appendage) could potentially cause irritation if it comes into contact with a child's skin or mucous membranes.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

  • Scientific Name: Alopecurus aequalis Sobol.
  • Common Names: Shortawn foxtail, Orange foxtail, Short-awn foxtail, Water foxtail, Sonoma Shortawn Foxtail, Little meadow-foxtail
  • Family: Poaceae (Grass family, formerly Gramineae)
  • Synonyms:
    • Alopecurus aristulatus
    • Alopecurus fulvus
    • Alopecurus aequalis var. natans
    • Alopecurus aristulatus
  • Varieties:
    • Alopecurus aequalis var. aequalis
    • Alopecurus aequalis var. sonomensis

Distribution and Habitat

  • Shortawn foxtail is found in Eurasia and the Americas.
  • It is common in wetlands and on the edges of ponds.
  • It is widely spread in east, south-central, and southwest China and parts of the Yellow River basin.
  • Also found in North America and Bavaria, Germany.

Ecological Role

  • Shortawn foxtail is a competitive annual grass weed that can infest winter wheat and oilseed rape productions.
  • It has shown multiple resistance to ACCase and AHAS-inhibiting herbicides.

Morphological Characteristics

  • Alopecurus aequalis is an annual or perennial growing to 0.3 meters (1 foot).
  • It flowers from May to June.
  • The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs).
  • The lemmas (lower of the two bracts enclosing the flower in grass) are glabrous (smooth).
  • The fertile lemma has a short awn that originates from below the middle of its length.

Resistance

  • It has developed resistance to fenoxaprop, pinoxaden, pyroxsulam and sethoxydim.

Quirky Facts

  • An antique print of the plant was titled 'Alopecurus Fulvus' and also known as orange foxtail grass species (current name: Alopecurus aequalis).