Deschampsia gracillima

Deschampsia gracillima
Auckland Islands Nature Reserve, January 28, 2023
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Pooideae
Genus:	Deschampsia
Species:	D. gracillima
Binomial name
Deschampsia gracillima Kirk

Deschampsia gracillima is a species of grass, which was first described in 1891 by the botanist Thomas Kirk. ^{[1] [2]}

It is native to the South Island of New Zealand, and to Tasmania, ^[1] where it is a threatened species. ^[3]

Description

Kirk ^[2] describes it as follows:

Deschampsia gracillima, sp. n. — An erect, tufted, glabrous species.

Culm very slender, 2" - 5" high; leaves involute, narrow almost filiform, sheaths slightly inflated; ligule entire or lacerate. Panicle 3/4"-2" long,open; branches few, capillary; spikelets few, 2-flowered; outer glumes unequal, 5-nerved; flowering glumes with a pencil of hairs at the base, ovate, truncate, minutely 3-5 toothed, or else with a short dorsal awn inserted just below the apex; paler, minutely ciliated; rachilla silky; ladicules 3; grain free.

The flowering glumes in some instances are deeply and evenly toothed, in others the teeth are shallower: or the margin is merely erose. The lower flower is sessile within the outer glumes; the upper is carried on a short stipe, which is invariably silky. The grain is very large for the size of the flower.

Hab: Carnley Harbour, Auckland Islands, at 1000 ft.

References

1. "Deschampsia gracillima Kirk | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
2. Kirk, T. (1891), Journal of Botany, British and Foreign 29: 237
3. "Deschampsia gracillima - Threatened Species Link". www.threatenedspecieslink.tas.gov.au. Retrieved 2025-02-13.

External links

• Deschampsia gracillima: Images & occurrence data from GBIF