''Alopecurus geniculatus'' is a species of
grass known by the common name water foxtail
or marsh foxtail.
It is native to much of
Eurasia and introduced into
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
,
South America, and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. It grows in moist areas.
''Alopecurus geniculatus'' is a
perennial grass forming bunches of erect stems up to about 60 cm (24 inches) in height. The leaves are up 12 cm (5 inches) in length. The pale green to purplish
inflorescence is a dense
panicle
A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...
up to 6 or 7 cm long which blooms in dusty yellow-orange
anthers
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
.
[Dogan, M. 1999. A concise taxonomic revision of the genus ''Alopecurus'' L. (Gramineae). Türk Botanik Dergisi 23(4): 245–262] reproduces sexually by seeds and can reproduce vegetatively by rooting at stem nodes.
Environmental conservation
''Alopecurus geniculatus'' is a component of
purple moor grass and rush pastures a type of Biodiversity Action Plan habitat in the UK. It occurs on poorly drained neutral and acidic soils of the lowlands and upland fringe.
Nonindigenous spread
The grass has spread significantly in the United States since it was first introduced.
Hybrid
''Alopecurus geniculatus'' is known to hybridize with other members of the ''Alopecurus'' genus. ''Alopecurus x haussknechtianus'' is a hybrid between ''A. geniculatus'' and ''A. aequalis'', ''Alopecurus x brachystylus'' is a hybrid between ''A. geniculatus'' and ''A. pratensis'', ''Alopecurus x plettkei'' is s hybrid between ''A. geniculatus'' and ''A. bulbosus'' (Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland 2016)
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUnited States Department of Agriculture Plants ProfileGrass Manual TreatmentCalphotos Photo gallery, University of California
geniculatus
Bunchgrasses of Asia
Bunchgrasses of Europe
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
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