Molinia-arundinacea_3

Description:

Molinia arundinacea Schrank, syn.: Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea (Schrank) K. Richt., Molinia altissima Link, Molinia litoralis Host, Molinia poscii Milk.Family: Poaceae BarnhartEN: Purple Moor-grass, DE: Rohr-PfeifengrasSlo.: trstikasta stokaDat.: Sept. 15. 2021Lat.: 46.35936 Long.: 13.705728Code: Bot_1404/2021_DSC08551 Habitat: Stony man made road scarp/wall, north aspect, calcareous rocks, open place but mostly in shade, humid air environment; elevation 545 m (1.790 feet); average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil among rock.Place: Lower Trenta valley, between villages Soa and Trenta, right bank of river Soa, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC.Comment: Only two species of genus Molinia are growing in Slovenia. Molinia arundinacea is a common grass. It is very similar to Molinia caerulea, which is even more frequent (Ref.: 2). The former species is usually larger (1 2 m tall) and has somewhat wider leaves. Characteristically, both species seem to have no nodes on their long stems, at least it looks like that superficially. Actually their uppermost stem node is only a few cm above the ground and is therefore usually covered by leaves and invisible before one takes a close look to the bottom of the stems. Another characteristic of both species are hairs, which replace collar (the area on the outside of leaf at the juncture of the blade and sheath) usually present in grasses. The hairs of Molinia arundinacea are longer than with Molinia caerulea and can be well over 1 mm long (Fig.6). Molinia arundinacea has a very wide habitat amplitude. However, to find one growing in the crevices of stony wall doesn't happen often.Ref.: (1) Personal communication (conf.) Dr. Igor Dakskobler, Scientific Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences, Biological Institute Jovan Hadi, Tolmin. (2) N. Jogan (ed.), Gradivo za Atlas flore Slovenije (Materials for the Atlas of Flora of Slovenia), CKSF (2001), p 250.(3) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 915. (4) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 1476.(5) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 2., Haupt (2004), p 994.