Ammophila arenaria (L.) Link subsp.
arenaria
Ammophila arenaria (L.) Link subsp.
arenaria
Hort. Berol. 1: 105 (1827).
Vegetative form. Perennial, rhizomatous. Leaves scattered along the culms. Culms 88-120 cm high, branched above, 4 noded. Mid-culm nodes glabrous. Mid-culm internodes hollow, glabrous, terete. Leaves non-auriculate. Basal leaf sheaths not keeled, terete, glabrous, with margins free, chartaceous, smooth. Ligule 13.5-30 mm long, chartaceous, long acuminate, entire to lacerate, abaxially hairy (papillate to minutely scabrous). Collar glabrous. Leaf blades strongly involute, linear, 545-600 mm long, 2-3 mm wide (when rolled); adaxially puberulous; abaxially glabrous; with margins smooth, apices acute, hooded. Prophyll 60 mm long, glabrous.
Reproductive organization. Plants bisexual. Incomplete spikelets absent. Inflorescence of chasmogamous spikelets.
Inflorescence. Inflorescence a panicle, strongly contracted, oblong. Main inflorescence axis 420-585 mm long. Peduncles 250-355 mm long, glabrous. Rachides 170-225 mm long, terete or subterete, glabrous. Rachis angles glabrous to scabrous. Primary inflorescence branches strongly spreading, spiral (but several branches per node). Spikelets 1 on a typical ultimate inflorescence branch (terminal?), on second order branches or on third order branches.
Hermaphrodite (`perfect') spikelets. Hermaphrodite spikelets pedicellate, 11-14 mm long, laterally compressed, obovate, disarticulating as a separate unit, disarticulating above the glumes. Pedicels 0.75-3.5 mm long. Glumes two per spikelet, free, similar, equal in length. Lower glume narrowly oblong, 11.5-13 mm long, 0.75 mm wide, chartaceous, keeled, acuminate, muticous, margin hyaline, margin smooth; 1 veined, midvein scabrous; intercostal regions glabrous. Upper glume narrowly oblong, 12.5-13.5 mm long, 0.75-1.5 mm wide, chartaceous, keeled, acute, muticous; 2-3 veined, midvein scabrous; intercostal regions glabrous. Incomplete florets absent. Hermaphrodite florets 1 per spikelet. Rachilla disarticulating between the florets, not apically prolonged. Callus present, pointed, 0.5 mm long, pilose, hairs 1.5 mm long. Lemma similar in firmness to the glumes, narrowly ovate, 9-9.75 mm long, 1.25-1.5 mm wide, chartaceous, keeled, acute, entire, shortly awned. Lemma margins smooth to scabrous (minutely). Lemma 3 veined or 5 veined. Lemma veins confluent towards the apex, obscure, minutely scabrous, with the hairs on all the veins, with the hairs extending the length of the veins; intercostal regions minutely papillose to scabrous, the hairs over the entire dorsal surface. Awns 1, median. Median awn shorter than the body of the lemmas, 0.25-0.5 mm long, 1 veined, subapical, scabrous. Palea fully developed, equal, similar in texture to the lemmas, gaping, narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, 7.5-9.5 mm long, 1-1.25 mm wide, chartaceous, medially longitudinally infolded, keels wingless; 4 veined. Lodicules fleshy, acuminate, with entire margins, glabrous. Stamens 3; filaments 3.5-5 mm long. Anthers 5.75 mm long, basally 2-lobed. Ovary without a conspicuous apical appendage, glabrous. Styles 2, free to their bases.
Abaxial leaf blade epidermis. Leaf anatomical data recorded.
Costal/intercostal zonation inconspicuous; epidermis differentiated into long- and short-cells; long-cells similar in shape costally and intercostally; long-cells of similar wall thickness costally and intercostally.
Microhairs absent.
Crown cells absent. Prickles absent. Macrohairs absent.
Intercostal long-cells fairly constant in shape. Mid-intercostal long-cells markedly elongated; fusiform, or rectangular (nearer the margins); when fusiform, slightly hexagonal; long-cell walls tessellate, or straight; the undulations regular; end walls vertical, or rounded; the intercostal long-cell walls associated with conspicuous pitting; outer surfaces of intercostal long-cells not pitted. Papillae absent.
The costal zones all histologically similar; costal short-cells solitary (with a few pairs nearer the blade margins). Costal cork-cells similar in shape to the silica cells. Costal silica bodies present but imperfectly developed, or absent; throughout the costal zones; horizontal-sinuous (at least the silica-cells are elongated with crenate walls), or horizontal-sinuous, cuboid, and tall-and-narrow-smooth.
Intercostal short-cells common; throughout the intercostal zones; solitary, or paired. Unsilicified intercostal short-cells square (to rectangular); walls vertically straight, or sinuous (horizontally). Intercostal silica bodies imperfectly developed; horizontal-sinuous and cuboid (though often missing or indistinct).
Stomata absent.
Photosynthetic pathway and related features. C3. XyMS+. The PBS sheaths of the primary lateral vascular bundles complete, or interrupted. Mestome sheath single; complete.
Transverse section of the leaf blade. Lamina mid-zone in transverse section infolded permanently; U-shaped to circular; adaxial channel irregular; exhibiting adaxial ribs only. Adaxial furrows deep; narrow. Adaxial furrows between all the vascular bundles. Adaxial ribs irregular in size; round topped (and bulbous with an extensive cap of sclerenchyma over the primary vascular bundles); opposite all vascular bundles. Vascular bundles in the mid-lamina 18-26; 1 per rib. Abaxial furrows absent.
Midrib not pronounced in outline; adaxially raised and rounded; 3 ridged adaxially; not prominent abaxially. Vascular bundles in the mid-lamina region of the midrib 1. The median vascular bundle with a protoxylem cavity; with an enlarged protoxylem vessel; with sclerosed phloem. Midrib without colourless tissue adaxially; without lacunae. The lamina symmetrical on either side of the midrib.
Mesophyll chlorenchyma non-radiate; tightly packed. Mesophyll without lacunae; without any obvious adaxial palisade; without `circular cells'; not traversed by columns of colourless cells; without arm cells; without fusoids (mesophyll confined to lateral blocks in the ribs and under the adaxial furrows. Section predominently composed of sclerenchyma). Bulliforms present in discrete groups. The bulliform groups situated between vascular bundles. The bulliform groups without contiguous colourless mesophyll cells; small; simple, fan-shaped (of irregular, small cells). Bulliform `hinge groups' present. Abaxial epidermis without bulliform-like epidermal cells or groups.
Outlines of primary vascular bundles more or less circular to more or less elliptical. Primary lateral vascular bundles with adaxial sclerenchyma; with abaxial sclerenchyma; the adaxial sclerenchyma forming girders; the abaxial sclerenchyma forming girders; the combined girders forming `anchors'. Outlines of lower order vascular bundles more or less circular to more or less elliptical. Lower order vascular bundles with adaxial sclerenchyma; with abaxial sclerenchyma; the adaxial sclerenchyma forming girders; the abaxial sclerenchyma forming girders; the combined girders of the lower order vascular bundles forming `anchors'; the smallest vascular bundles with sclerenchyma. The adaxial sclerenchyma of the mid-lamina all associated with vascular bundles; sclerenchyma of the mid-lamina forming a continuous abaxial hypodermal layer.
Cytology. 2n = 14, 28, and 56.
Common name. Marram Grass.
Distribution. Introduced; not commonly adventive.
Vouchers. Specimens examined morphologically: P.C.Heyligers 79130 Walkers Rock, 10 km NNW. of Elliston (S.A.); 17 Nov. 1979; Fl.; AD, CANB - J.Z.Yugovuc 153: Port Philip Bay, Mud Island State Nature Reserve (Vic.); 21 Dec. 1983; Fl.; CANB, MEL - N.Lloyd 0353: Tuncurry (N.S.W.); 28 Oct. 1986; Fl.; CANB - A.R.Main 9: West Cape Howe (W.A.); Jan. 1972; Fl.; CANB, PERTH - E.Reiner 51 Lakes Entrance (Vic.); 18.i.1959; Fl.; CANB.
Material examined anatomically: L.Watson 626, Jervis Bay, NSW. ; L.Watson 1585, Lake Tabourie, NSW.
Notes. Economic importance: used to stabilise coastal sand dunes.
Classification. Poodae; Aveneae.
References. Illustrations: ammoph01.gif ammoph02.gif
Cite this publication as:
C.M. Weiller, M.J.
Henwood, J. Lenz and L. Watson (1995 onwards). `Pooideae (Poaceae) in
Australia - Descriptions and Illustrations'. URL
http://muse.bio.cornell.edu/delta/
Dallwitz
(1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993)
should also be cited.
