Family: Poaceae
Altai Wildrye
[Aneurolepidium angustum (Trin.) Nevski, moreElymus angustus Trin.] |
TROPICOS Tropicos (2016-03-04) reports three different counts for Leymus angustus (see below). The voucher specimens for these counts should be re-examined. The counts of 2n = 70 and 2n = 28 may be based on different interpretations of the species, hybrids or misidentifications. It is also possible that they reflect the variation that exists within Leymus angustus, as that species is currently interpreted. Another possibility is that all lthe counts of 2n = 84 are based on plants derived from the same accession. 2n = 84 Lu, B. r., J. Yan & J. l. Yang. 1990. Cytological observations on Triticeae materials from Xinjiang, Qinghai and Sichuan. Acta Bot. Yunnan. 12: 57–66. Ørgaard, M. & J. S. Heslop-Harrison. 1994. Relationships between species of Leymus, Psathyrostachys and Hordeum (Poaceae, Triticeae) inferred from Southern hybridization of genomic and cloned DNA probes. Pl. Syst. Evol. 189: 217–231. Ørgaard, M. 1994. Intergeneric hybridization between species of Leymus, Psathyrostachys and Hordeum (Poaceae, Triticeae). Ann. Bot. (London) 73: 471–479. Ørgaard, M. & J. S. Heslop-Harrison. 1994. Investigations of genome relationships between Leymus, Psathyrostachys and Hordeum inferred by genomic DNA: DNA in situ hybridization. Ann. Bot. (London) 73: 195–203. Mujeeb-Kazi, A., Q. Jahan & A. A. Vahidy. 1994. Application of a somatic and meiotic cytological technique to diverse plant genera and species in the Triticeae. Pakistan J. Bot. 26: 353–366. Yang, R. w. 2004. Leymus karyotypes of three octoploid and two dodecaploid species. Acta Pratacult. Sin. 13(2): 99–105. 2n = 70 Yan, G. x., S. z. Zheng, F. h. Xue, J. f. Yun, L. y. Wang & X. q. Fu. 1995. The chromosome numbers of 35 forage species and their geographical distribution. Grassl. China 1995(1): 16–20. 2n = 28 Zhi, L. & L. b. Cai. 2000. Karyotypes and evolution of five species of Leymus Hochst. Acta Bot. Boreal.-Occid. Sin. 20(5): 876–881. Mary E. Barkworth Plants somewhat cespitose, rhizomatous. Culms 60–120 cm tall, 2.5–7 mm thick, solitary or a few together, glabrous or pubescent below the nodes. Leaves exceeded by the spikes, basally concentrated; sheaths smooth, scabridulous, or hairy; auricles to 1 mm; ligules 0.5–1 mm, rounded to obtuse, sometimes erose; blades 15–20 cm long, 5–7 mm wide, glaucous, stiff, involute, abaxial surfaces glabrous, scabridulous, or hairy, adaxial surfaces scabrous, with 7–17 closely spaced subequal veins. Spikes 10–25 cm long, 7–10 mm wide, with 2(3) spikelets per node; internodes 8–10 mm, surfaces strigillose, hairs to 0.3 mm, edges ciliate, cilia to 1 mm. Spikelets 10–19 mm, with 2–3 florets. Glumes 10–13 mm long, 0.5–2.5 mm wide, exceeded by the florets, narrowly lanceolate, tapering from the base, stiff, keeled, the central portion thicker than the margins, (0)1(3)-veined at midlength, bases expanded, overlapping, concealing the base of the lowest floret, scabrous; lemmas 8–13 mm, densely hairy and not glaucous, with hairs to 0.4 mm, or glabrous and glaucous, apices unawned or awned, awns to 2.5 mm; anthers 3–4 mm, dehiscent. 2n = 84. Leymus angustus is a Eurasian species that, in its native range, grows in alkaline meadows, and on sand and gravel in river and lake valleys. Several cultivars of L. angustus have been developed for use as forage, particularly in Canada. Some of the better known are ‘Prairieland’, ‘Eejay’, and ‘Pearl’. The distribution of L. angustus in the Flora region is not known. Chen and Zhu (2006) describe Leymus angustus as always being puberulent. Some accessions cultivated under this name by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Plant Introduction Numbers, including one identified as the cultivar ‘Prairieland’, have glabrous, glaucous lemmas and glumes that tend to exceed the lemmas, suggesting that they belong to another taxon, possibly L. karelinii (Turcz.) Tzvelev, a species for which 2n = 56. |