No images found for this plant ID: 5028.
Ensure images are uploaded to the Media Library and tagged with "5028" in the "plant_image_tag" taxonomy.
downy alpine oatgrass
Scientific Name: Avenula pubescens
Family: Poaceae
Category: Monocot
Growth: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Other Names:
Helictotrichon pubescens: Downy Oat-grass
Helictotrichon pubescens, commonly known as downy oat-grass or downy alpine oatgrass, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the grass family. It is also known by its synonym Avenula pubescens.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Helictotrichon pubescens
- Synonym: Avenula pubescens
- Other Scientific Names: Avena pubescens, Avenochloa pubescens
- Common Names: Downy oat-grass, downy alpine oatgrass, downy oat grass, hairy oats, hairy oat-grass
- Family: Poaceae (Grass family)
- Genus: Avenula
- Rank: Species
Distribution and Habitat
- Native to Europe and Central Asia.
- Introduced in Canada and some northern states of the United States.
- Occurs primarily in alpine meadows and arctic regions.
- Widely distributed in Germany, but rare or absent in the northwest.
- Found in Upper Caucasus near Kazbegi (now Stepantsminda), Republic of Georgia.
Morphological Characteristics
- Graminoid
- Perennial plant
- Culms (stems) are 30-110 cm tall, erect or geniculate (bent like a knee) at the base.
- Basal leaves have sheaths closed to near the top.
- Ligules (a membrane or fringe of hairs on the inside of a leaf sheath at its junction with the blade) are 0.5-1 mm long.
Ecological Role
- It is a valuable forage grass in many alpine and northern parts of the northern hemisphere.