couch grass
Elytrigia repens
Summary 2
Elymus repens, commonly known as couch grass, is a very common perennial species of grass native to most of Europe, Asia, the Arctic biome, and northwest Africa. It has been brought into other mild northern climates for forage or erosion control, but is often considered a weed.
Description 3
It has creeping rhizomes which enable it to grow rapidly across grassland. It has flat, hairy leaves with upright flower spikes. The stems ('culms') grow to 40–150 cm tall; the leaves are linear, 15–40 cm long and 3–10 mm broad at the base of the plant, with leaves higher on the stems 2–8.5 mm broad. The flower spike is 10–30 cm long, with spikelets 1–2 cm long, 5–7 mm broad and 3 mm thick with three to eight florets. The glumes are 7–12 mm long, usually without an awn or with only a short one.
Green or sometimes glaucous perennial, extensively rhizomatous and forming loose tufts or patches; erect, slender flowering stems up to 110 cm. Ligule: a membranous rim 0.2-0.5 mm long. Leaf blades soft, usually flat, 3-9 mm wide. Flower spike stiff, 7.5-13.5 cm long, usually straight, tough; spikelets stalkless 12-18 mm long, 4-7-flowered; glumes rigid and tough, apiculate or mucronate at the tip; lemma 9-13.5 mm long, rigid and tough, smooth, apiculate or mucronate. Fruits dispersed by wind and animals; viability in the soil 1-5 year.
Distribution 4
Grytviken and Leith Harbour
Sources and Credits
- (c) Rasbak, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kweek_Elytrigia_repens.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elytrigia_repens
- Adapted by stuwhiterod from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elymus_repens
- (c) Kelvin Floyd, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
More Info
iNat Map
| Group | Grass |
|---|---|
| Category | Non Native |
