 Photo ©
Carl Farmer |
Rare on damp ground in mountains Glumes c 4-7 mm long. Skye ID: At least some (usually all) spikelets viviparous. Lemmas with a notch in the tip deeper than wide - this separates it from D caespitosa which can on rare occasions be viviparous, but has lemmas only shallowly toothed at tip. Other features: Ligule 3-10 mm long. pointed. Leaves narrow, often inrolled upwards, sometimes to make a complete tube. Spikelets variegated as in other Deschampsia sp, a mixture of purple, silver, gold, and green. Non-viviparous spikelets, if any are present, have lemmas with a short awn from the middle or the top half of the lemma, whereas in D cespitosa the awn is from near the base. Viviparous spikelets often have lemmas longer, greener and without awns or with a short point in the centre of the notched tip. |
