categoryZGrasses Grasses List 

ORANGE FOXTAIL

Alopecurus aequalis

Grasses Family [Poaceae]

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category
category8Grasses
status
statusZnative
flower
flower8green
inner
inner8orange
petals
petalsZ0
type
typeZspiked
stem
stem8round
rarity
rarityZuncommon
sex
sexZbisexual

9th Sept 2013, Shillinglee, Chiddingfold, Surrey. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
Orange Foxtail has glaucous-green stems unlike the other Foxtail grasses (which are in the Alopecusus genus) such as Black Grass, Meadow Foxtail and Marsh Foxtail to a lesser extent which does have a pale green stem but is not glaucous green. It grows to 40cm high with a narrow compact spikelet at the top which is longer than 3cm and bright-green if you can see it through the orange anthers (which are above) and white anthers (which are below but obviously not present here).


9th Sept 2013, Shillinglee, Chiddingfold, Surrey. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
The stem is glaucous but the inflorescence is a bright green narrow spike with orange anthers dangling down from it.


9th Sept 2013, Shillinglee, Chiddingfold, Surrey. Photo: © Dawn Nelson
At middle of the photo a long, narrow glaucous-green leaf peels away wfrom the stem. There may be between 1 to 6 flowering spikes on a plant (each on their own branch) - as far as your Author can gather from the book.


No relation to : Fox-and-Cubs (Pilosella aurantiaca), Foxglove Tree (Paulownia tomentosa), Foxtail Stonewort (Lamprothamnium papulosum), Foxtail Barley (Hordeum marinum), Fairy Foxglove (Erinus alpinus), Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), True Fox-sedge (Carex vulpina) nor to Foxtail Brome (Anisantha rubens) [plants with similar names belonging to differing families].


  Alopecurus aequalis  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Poaceae  

Distribution
 family8Grasses family8Poaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Alopecurus
Alopecurus
(Foxtails)

ORANGE FOXTAIL

Alopecurus aequalis

Grasses Family [Poaceae]