''Deschampsia cespitosa'', commonly known as tufted hairgrass or tussock grass,
is a
perennial tufted plant in the grass family
Poaceae
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
. Distribution of this species is widespread including the eastern and western coasts of North America, parts of South America, Eurasia and Australia.
The species is cultivated as an ornamental garden plant, and numerous
cultivars are available. The cultivars 'Goldschleier' and 'Goldtau' have gained the
Royal Horticultural Society's
Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
It is a larval host to the
Juba skipper
''Hesperia juba'', the Juba skipper, Yuba skipper, or jagged-border skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from British Columbia, south to southern California, east to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and north ...
and the
umber skipper
''Lon melane'', the umber skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in California (west of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada divide), southern Arizona, Baja California, the highlands of Mexico and Central America. The ...
.
Description
A distinguishing feature is the upper surface of the leaf blade which feels rough and can cut in one direction, but is smooth in the opposite direction. The dark green upper sides of the leaves are deeply grooved.
It can grow to tall, and has a long, narrow, pointed ligule. It flowers from June until August.
It can be found on all types of grassland, although it prefers poorly drained soil. It forms a major component of the
British NVC community MG9
__NOTOC__
British NVC community MG9 (Holcus lanatus - Deschampsia cespitosa grasslands) is one of the mesotrophic grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system. It is one of three communities associated with poorly ...
- ''
Holcus lanatus
''Holcus lanatus'' is a perennial grass. The specific epithet ' is Latin for 'woolly' which describes the plant's hairy texture. Common names include Yorkshire fog, tufted grass, and meadow soft grass. In North America, where it is an invasive ...
'' to ''Deschampsia cespitosa''
mesotrophic grasslands. It can exist up to altitudes of 4000 ft.
[Grasses by C E Hubbard, 1978, published by Penguin books] Typical native grass associates in the western North American
coastal prairies, such as the
California coastal prairie
California coastal prairie, also known as northern coastal grassland, is a grassland plant community of California and Oregon in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome. It is found along the Pacific Coast, from as far south as L ...
, are ''
Festuca californica
''Festuca californica'' is a species of grass known by the common name California fescue.
This fescue species is native to the U.S. states of California and Oregon, where it is a member of many plant communities, including chaparral and oak wo ...
'', ''
Festuca idahoensis'', ''
Danthonia californica'', and ''
Nassella pulchra''.
Subspecies
* ''Deschampsia cespitosa'' subsp. ''cespitosa'' (synonyms: ''Deschampsia bottnica'' (Wahlenb.) Trin.; ''Deschampsia littoralis'' (Gaudin) Reut.)
Gallery
Image:Deschampsia cespitosa seed.jpg , Seed
Image:Deschampsia cespitosa ligula.jpeg , Ligule is long and pointed
See also
*
Ornamental grass
References
External links
*''Jepson Manual''. 1993
Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Deschampsia cespitosa''USDA Plants Profile for ''Deschampsia cespitosa''UC Photos gallery of ''Deschampsia cespitosa''
cespitosa
Bunchgrasses of North America
Bunchgrasses of Asia
Bunchgrasses of Europe
Bunchgrasses of South America
Grasses of North America
Grasses of Oceania
Grasses of Canada
Grasses of the United States
Flora of Australia
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Taxa named by Palisot de Beauvois
Garden plants of North America
Garden plants of South America
{{Pooideae-stub