Lygeum

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Lygeum
Lygeum spartum-1.jpg
Lygeum spartum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Clade: BOP clade
Subfamily: Pooideae
Supertribe: Nardodae
Tribe: Lygeeae
J.Presl
Genus: Lygeum
Loefl. ex L.
Species:
L. spartum
Binomial name
Lygeum spartum
Loefl. ex L.
Synonyms [1]
  • LinospartonAdans.
  • SparthumPlin. ex P. Beauv. as synonym [2]
  • SpartumPlin. ex P. Beauv., alternate spelling [3]
  • Lygeum tenaxSalisb.
  • Lygeum spathaceumLam.
  • Lygeum apiculatumGand.
  • Lygeum insulareGand.
  • Lygeum loscosiiGand.
  • Lygeum murcicumGand.
  • Lygeum spartum f. longispathumTrab.
Lygeum spartum
MHNT Lygeum spartum MHNT.BOT.2013.22.43.jpg
Lygeum spartum
MHNT

Lygeum is a genus of Mediterranean plants in the grass family. [4] [5] It is placed in its own tribe Lygeeae, which is sister to Nardeae. [6]

The only known species is Lygeum spartum, commonly called esparto grass, cord grass [1] [7] or albardine, which is distributed in arid areas around the Mediterranean Sea. [8] It is similar to Stipa tenacissima [9] and both species are used to produce a fiber product known as esparto or esparto grass. [10]

Description

Lygeum spartum is a rhizomatous hermaphroditic, perennial grass growing up to 75 centimetres (30 in) tall. [11] The rhizome and the base of the stem are scaly. [12] The leaves are threadlike but stiff [11] and tough, measuring up to 50 centimetres (20 in) long. [12] The inflorescence is made up of a few long-haired spikelets each up to 4.5 centimetres (1+34 in) long. They are wrapped in a lance-shaped bract called a spatheole. [11] This sheath is 3 to 9 centimetres (1+16 to 3+712 in) long and can have a sharp point. [12]

Distribution

Lygeum spartinum is native to southern Europe and North Africa, where its distribution includes Crete, Italy, Spain, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. [8] [13] It may have been introduced to Kashmir. [14]

Habitat

Rocky sea shores, or on dry sandy or clay and often calcareous soil. [15]

Uses

Lygeum spartum fibres have high tensile strength and flexibility, and is used for making ropes, sandals, baskets, mats and other durable articles. They have also used in the manufacture of high quality paper. [16] It can also be used locally as a fodder for livestock and to stabilise sand dunes and rehabilitate salt soils, due to its tolerance of saline conditions. [17]

Related Research Articles

Biosalinity is the study and practice of using saline (salty) water for irrigating agricultural crops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halophyte</span> Salt-tolerant plant

A halophyte is a salt-tolerant plant that grows in soil or waters of high salinity, coming into contact with saline water through its roots or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. The word derives from Ancient Greek ἅλας (halas) 'salt' and φυτόν (phyton) 'plant'. Halophytes have different anatomy, physiology and biochemistry than glycophytes. An example of a halophyte is the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora. Relatively few plant species are halophytes—perhaps only 2% of all plant species. Information about many of the earth's halophytes can be found in the halophyte database.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esparto</span> Fiber produced from perennial grasses of north Africa and southern Europe

Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. Stipa tenacissima and Lygeum spartum are the species used to produce esparto.

<i>Stipa tenacissima</i> Species of grass

Stipa tenacissima is a perennial grass of northwestern Africa and the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula.

<i>Agrostis stolonifera</i> Species of grass

Agrostis stolonifera is a perennial grass species in the family Poaceae. It is widely used as turf for golf courses.

<i>Distichlis palmeri</i> Species of flowering plant

Distichlis palmeri is an obligate emergent perennial rhizomatous dioecious halophytic C4 grass in the Poaceae (Gramineae) family. D. palmeri is a saltwater marsh grass endemic to the tidal marshes of the northern part of the Gulf of California and Islands section of the Sonoran Desert. D.palmeri is not drought tolerant. It does withstand surface drying between supra tidal events because roots extend downward to more than 1 meter where coastal substrata is still moist.

<i>Atriplex semibaccata</i> Species of plant

Atriplex semibaccata, commonly known as Australian saltbush, berry saltbush, or creeping saltbush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a perennial herb native to Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales, but has been introduced into other states and to overseas countries. It flowers and fruits in spring, and propagates from seed when the fruit splits open. This species of saltbush is adapted to inconsistent rainfall, temperature and humidity extremes and to poor soil. It is used for rehabilitation, medicine, as a cover crop and for fodder. Its introduction to other countries has had an environmental and economic impact on them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soil salinity control</span> Controlling the problem of soil salinity

Soil salinity control refers to controlling the process and progress of soil salinity to prevent soil degradation by salination and reclamation of already salty (saline) soils. Soil reclamation is also known as soil improvement, rehabilitation, remediation, recuperation, or amelioration.

<i>Prosopis tamarugo</i> Species of plant


Prosopis tamarugo, commonly known as the tamarugo, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamilia Mimosoideae. It is only found in northern Chile, particularly in the Pampa del Tamarugal, some 70 km (43 mi) east of the city of Iquique. This bushy tree apparently grows without the benefit of rainfall, and it is thought to obtain some water from dew. Studies indicate it is a Phreatophyte; having deep roots that tap into ground water supplies. It also participates in hydraulic redistribution moving water from deeper levels to the upper and also reversing the process in times of severe drought.

<i>Ampelodesmos</i> Genus of grasses

Ampelodesmos is a genus of Mediterranean plants in the grass family, which is known by the common names stramma, Mauritania grass, rope grass, and dis(s) grass. It is classified in its own tribe Ampelodesmeae within the grass subfamily Pooideae.

<i>Juncus acutus</i> Species of rush

Juncus acutus, the spiny rush, sharp rush or sharp-pointed rush, is a flowering plant in the monocot family Juncaceae. It is native to the Americas, Northern and Southern Africa, Western and Southern Europe and West Asia, and is found in a variety of wet habitats, such as bogs, fens, meadows, and salt marshes, and along the edges of ponds and lakes.

<i>Nitraria retusa</i> Species of plant in the family Nitrariaceae

Nitraria retusa, commonly known as Nitre bush, is a salt-tolerant and drought-resistant shrub in the family Nitrariaceae. It can grow to heights of 2.5 metres, although it seldom exceeds more than 1 m in height. It produces small white/green coloured flowers and small edible red fruit. The plant is native to desert areas of northern Africa, where it grows in primary succession on barren sand dunes, and in areas with high salinities such as salt marshes.

<i>Panicum turgidum</i> Species of plant

Panicum turgidum is an old world clumping desert bunchgrass of the genus Panicum. It is a plant of arid regions across Africa and Asia, and has been introduced to other parts of the world.

<i>Chloris gayana</i> Species of grass

Chloris gayana is a species of grass known by the common name Rhodes grass. It is native to Africa but it can be found throughout the tropical and subtropical world as a naturalized species.

<i>Salsola tragus</i> Species of flowering plant

Salsola tragus, often known by its synonym Kali tragus is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It is known by various common names such as prickly Russian thistle, windwitch, or common saltwort. It is widely known simply as tumbleweed because, in many regions of the United States, it is the most common and most conspicuous plant species that produces tumbleweeds. Informally, it may be known as "'Kali or Salsola": the latter being its restored genus, containing 54 other species, into which the obsolete genus Kali has been subsumed.

<i>Limoniastrum monopetalum</i> Species of plant in the Plumbaginaceae family

Limoniastrum monopetalum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plumbaginaceae that is native to between Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia. It has been found in salt marshes, dunes and other coastal areas with high salinity levels. It has silver-grey or light green leaves on multi branching stems. At the ends of the stems are the summer blooming flowers, in shades of pink, purple, lavender and violet. It is known to be salt and drought tolerant, as well as having the ability to withstand some forms of soil pollution.

<i>Aeluropus lagopoides</i> Species of grass

Aeluropus lagopoides, sometimes called mangrove grass or rabbit-foot aeluropus, is a species of Eurasian and African plant in the grass family, found primarily in salty soils and waste places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt tolerance of crops</span>

Salt tolerance of crops is the maximum salt level a crop tolerates without losing its productivity while it is affected negatively at higher levels. The salt level is often taken as the soil salinity or the salinity of the irrigation water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biosaline agriculture</span> Production of crops in salt-rich conditions

Biosaline agriculture is the production and growth of plants in saline rich groundwater and/or soil. In water scarce locations, salinity poses a serious threat to agriculture due to its toxicity to most plants. Abiotic stressors such as salinity, extreme temperatures, and drought make plant growth difficult in many climate regions. Integration of biosaline solutions is becoming necessary in arid and semiarid climates where freshwater abundance is low and seawater is ample. Salt-tolerant plants that flourish in high-salinity conditions are called halophytes. Halophyte implementation has the potential to restore salt-rich environments, provide for global food demands, produce medicine and biofuels, and conserve fresh water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands</span>

The Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It lies in southeastern coastal Spain, along the Mediterranean Sea.

References

  1. 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Palisot de Beauvois, Ambroise Marie François Joseph. 1812. Essai d'une Nouvelle Agrostographie 140
  3. Tropicos, Spartum P. Beauv.
  4. Linnaeus, Carl von. 1754. Genera Plantarum, ed. 5 27, (522).
  5. Abdeddaim-Boughanmi, K. and M. Kaid-Harche. (2009). Structure, ultrastructure of the anther, pollen microsporogenesis and morphology of pollen grains of two populations of Lygeum spartum L. in Algeria. American Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences 4(3), 201-05.
  6. Soreng, Robert J.; Peterson, Paul M.; Romaschenko, Konstantin; Davidse, Gerrit; Teisher, Jordan K.; Clark, Lynn G.; Barberá, Patricia; Gillespie, Lynn J.; Zuloaga, Fernando O. (2017). "A worldwide phylogenetic classification of the Poaceae (Gramineae) II: An update and a comparison of two 2015 classifications". Journal of Systematics and Evolution. 55 (4): 259–290. doi: 10.1111/jse.12262 . hdl: 10261/240149 . ISSN   1674-4918. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Lygeum, Sparto steppico, Esparto Grass
  8. 1 2 "Lygeum spartum". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  9. Garcı́a-Fuentes, A., et al. (2001). Review of communities of Lygeum spartum L. in the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula (western Mediterranean). Journal of Arid Environments 48(3), 323-39.
  10. Watson, L. and M. J. Dallwitz. 1992 onwards. Lygeum. Archived 19 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine The Grass Genera of the World. DELTA – DEscription Language for TAxonomy. Version: 18 December 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 Clayton, W. D., et al. (2006 onwards). Lygeum. GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
  12. 1 2 3 Lygeum spartum. Flora of Pakistan.
  13. Lygeum spartum. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
  14. "Lygeum spartum". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  15. "Lygeum spartum - Loefl. ex L." Plants For A Future. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  16. "Esparto". Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  17. Bouzid Nedjimi (2009). "Salt tolerance strategies of Lygeum spartum L.: A new fodder crop for Algerian saline steppes". Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants. 204 (10): 747–754. doi:10.1016/j.flora.2008.11.004.