Fescue - Fescue

A perennial grass of the family Poaceae (APG classification: Poaceae). The rhizome is short and has no runners. It has numerous clumping culms, 20-40 cm tall. New shoots emerge from the mouth of the sheath along the entire inside of the old leaf sheath. The leaves are needle-shaped, folded in half, and glabrous. In June-August, panicles are produced at the end of the culms. The spikelets have several florets, are 5-9 mm long, and the glumes are shorter than the glumes. The glumes are paper-like, have five veins, and have awns about 1 mm long. It grows on rocky areas in the mountains or high mountains throughout Japan, and is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. Its name comes from the fact that its leaves are folded and thin, thread-like, likening them to cow or sheep hair. A similar plant is the large fescue. It has runners, a somewhat spreading plant, and new shoots break through the base of some of the older leaf sheaths. The awns are much longer than the lemniscus. The annual elm is a naturalized plant native to Europe.

[Jianchang Xu August 20, 2019]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イネ科（APG分類：イネ科）の多年草。根茎は短く、走出枝がない。多数の稈(かん)が叢生(そうせい)し、高さ20～40センチメートル。新枝は完全に古い葉鞘(ようしょう)内に沿って鞘口から出る。葉は針形で二つ折りに畳まり、無毛。6～8月に稈の先に円錐(えんすい)花序をつくる。小穂は数個の小花をもち、長さ5～9ミリメートル、包穎(ほうえい)は護穎より短い。護穎は洋紙質で5脈をもち、1ミリメートルほどの芒(のぎ)がある。日本全土の山地または高山の岩場に生え、北半球に広く分布する。名は、葉が畳まって細く糸状なので、ウシやヒツジの毛にたとえていう。似たものにオオウシノケグサがある。これは走出枝をもち、株がやや広がって、新芽は一部古い葉鞘の基部を破って出る。また芒が護穎よりはるかに長くて、一年生のナギナタガヤは、ヨーロッパ原産の帰化植物である。

［許　建　昌　2019年8月20日］

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