Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Foxtail
Description
Genus Alopecurus
Annual
or perennial
. Leaf blades
linear
, flat; ligule membranous. Inflorescence a spikelike panicle, densely cylindrical, spikelets
numerous
, closely packed; pedicels very short, apices cuplike. Spikelets protogynous, strongly laterally compressed
, floret 1, falling entire from pedicel; rachilla extension
absent; glumes
equal, ± equaling and enclosing floret, broadly lanceolate to oblong
, membranous to thinly leathery, prominently 3-veined, strongly keeled
, keel usually ciliate
, infrequently winged
, lower margins
almost free
or connate
for up to half their length
, apex obtuse
, acute or shortly awned
; lemma broadly lanceolate to ovate
, usually thinly membranous, keeled, obscurely 5-veined, smooth
, glabrous
, lower margins often connate, awned from lower back, apex truncate
to acute; awn
straight when short or geniculate
when longer
, column smooth, usually twisted at maturity, bristle
scabrid
; palea absent or very small. Lodicules absent; ovary glabrous. Caryopsis obliquely obovate
in side view
; endosperm sometimes liquid.
Between 40 and 50 species:temperate and cold regions of the N hemisphere, South America; eight species in China.[1]
Physical Description
Habit: Graminoid
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- (Auct.) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Infraphylum:
Angiospermae
()
- Auct.
- Class:
Spermatopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
Commelinidae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Juncanae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Order:
Poales
()
- Small, 1903
- Family:
Gramineae
()
- A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons., nom. alt.
- Subfamily:
Pooideae
()
- Tribe:
Aveneae
()
- Subtribe:
Alopecuridinae
()
- Genus:
Alopecurus
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1753
- Foxtail
- Specific epithet:
brachystachus
- Bieb.
- Botanical name: - Alopecurus brachystachus Bieb.
- Specific epithet:
brachystachus
- Bieb.
- Genus:
Alopecurus
(
- Subtribe:
Alopecuridinae
(
- Tribe:
Aveneae
(
- Subfamily:
Pooideae
(
- Family:
Gramineae
(
- Order:
Poales
(
- Superorder:
Juncanae
(
- Subclass:
Commelinidae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Angiospermae
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Last scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000
Similar Species
Members of the genus Alopecurus
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 20 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
A. aequalis (Marsh Meadow-Foxtail) · A. aequalis sonomensis var. sonomensis (Sonoma Alopecurus) · A. aequalis var. aequalis (Short-Awn Meadow-Foxtail) · A. aequalis var. sonomensis (Sonoma Shortawn Foxtail) · A. alpinus (Boreal Alopecurus) · A. alpinus glaucus (Boreal Alopecurus) · A. arundinaceus (Creeping Foxtail) · A. brachystachus (Foxtail) · A. carolinianus (Carolina Foxtail) · A. creticus (Cretan Meadow Foxtail) · A. geniculatus (Marsh Meadow-Foxtail) · A. geniculatus var. geniculatus (Water Foxtail) · A. geniculatus var. microstachyus (Water Foxtail) · A. myosuroides (Blackgrass) · A. pratensis (Field Meadow-Foxtail) · A. pratensis pratensis (Field Meadow-Foxtail) · A. pratensis 'Aureus' (Gold Foxtail Grass) · A. pratensis 'Variegatus' (Variegated Foxtail Grass) · A. rendlei (Rendle's Foxtail) · A. saccatus (Pacific Foxtail)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
Notes
Contributors
- Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
- Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
- USDA, NRCS. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2671346
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-507481
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 507481
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: ALBR12
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 20597
Footnotes
- Sheng-lian Lu & Sylvia M. Phillips "Alopecurus". in Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 316, 364. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
