Lagurus ovatus
{{Short description|Species of grass}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Lagurus ovatus.jpg
| display_parents = 5
| genus = Lagurus (plant)
| parent_authority = L.
| species = ovatus
| authority = L.
| synonyms =
- Imperata ovata Tratt.
- Lagurus dalmaticus Gand.
- Lagurus dimorphus Gand.
- Lagurus freynii Gand.
- Lagurus humilis Gand.
- Lagurus longifolius Gand.
- Lagurus nitens Lojac.
- Lagurus siculus Lojac.
}}
Lagurus is a genus of Old World plants in the grass family, native to the Mediterranean Basin and nearby regions, from Madeira and the Canary Islands to Crimea and Saudi Arabia. It is also naturalized in Australia, New Zealand, the Azores, Ireland and Great Britain, and scattered locations in the Americas.[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=421920 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families][http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/floraspecie.php?genere=Lagurus Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Lagurus][http://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?source=profile&symbol=LAGUR&display=63 USDA Plants Profile: Lagurus]
The only known species is Lagurus ovatus, commonly called hare's-tail,{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17}} hare's-tail grass or bunnytail.{{cite book|title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants|year=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1405332965|pages=1136}} It is also grown as an ornamental plant for its attractive flower panicles.{{cite book |author=Umberto Quattrocchi |title=CRC World Dictionary of Grasses: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8ieqQs7hIREC&pg=PA1177 |year=2006 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-8493-1303-5 |pages=1177–}}
Description
Lagurus ovatus is a clump-forming annual growing to {{convert|50|cm|0|abbr=on}} tall by {{convert|30|cm|0|abbr=on}} tall, with pale green grassy foliage and numerous short, oval green flowerheads, turning to a buff colour as they ripen, all summer long.Tucker, G. C. [http://www.herbarium.usu.edu/treatments/Lagurus.htm Lagurus.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626120223/http://www.herbarium.usu.edu/treatments/Lagurus.htm |date=2010-06-26 }} Grass Manual. Flora of North America.{{cite book | author=Pink, A. | url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11892|title=Gardening for the Million| year=2004 | publisher=Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation}}
Diagnostic features
Distribution
Native to the Mediterranean and introduced into Britain, it is now thriving on sandy stretches in the islands of Guernsey and Jersey, occasionally found in Ireland and South Wales. It has become naturalized in County Wexford, Ireland, South Devon and West Sussex.{{cite book |author=Hubbard, C. E. |authorlink=Charles Edward Hubbard |year=1968 |title=Grasses, A Guide to Their Structure, Identification, Uses, and Distribution in the British Isles |edition=2nd |page=476 |publisher=Penguin Books}}
This plant is known or likely to be susceptible to barley mild mosaic bymovirus.
Formerly included species
Species once considered part of Lagurus but now regarded as better suited to other genera (Cymbopogon, Imperata)
- Lagurus cylindricus – Imperata cylindrica
- Lagurus paniculatus – Cymbopogon nardus
- Lagurus schoenanthus – Cymbopogon schoenanthus
References
{{Reflist|32em}}
External links
- {{Commons-inline|Lagurus ovatus|Lagurus ovatus}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q2092294|from2=Q2684551}}