Deschampsia antarctica, the Antarctic hair grass, is one of two vascular flowering plants native to Antarctica, the other being Colobanthus quitensis (Antarctic pearlwort).
| Deschampsia antarctica | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Pooideae |
| Genus: | Deschampsia |
| Species: | D. antarctica |
| Binomial name | |
| Deschampsia antarctica | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Description
editLess than a half a foot in diameter.[2]
Habitat and ecology
edit
In Antarctica, the plant can be found forming low clumps in wet, protected habitats.[3]
Deschampsia antarctica mainly occurs on the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Islands, and along the western Antarctic Peninsula.[3] Deschampsia antartica distribution largely depends on the area's nutrient supply of the soil and its water distribution.[4] Deschampsia antarctica has been recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records as the southernmost flowering plant. In 1981, a specimen was found on the Antarctic Peninsula's Refuge Islands at a latitude of 68°21′S.[5][6]
Climate change
editReproduction
editThe plant is capable of reproducing sexually through self-pollination or outcrossing, and asexually through vegetative spread.[8] Pollination with other plants usually occurs via the wind.[9] Self-pollination usually occurs through cleistogamy, a type of self-pollination that occurs within non-opening flowers.[8] Fragments are also distributed by seabirds, particularly skua and gulls, which introduce the grass to new areas.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 "Deschampsia antarctica". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021.
- ↑ "The Plants of Antarctica". oceanwide-expeditions.com. Retrieved 2026-08-22.
- 1 2 Rudolph, E. D. (1965). "Antarctic Lichens and Vascular Plants: Their Significance". BioScience. 15 (4): 285–287. doi:10.2307/1293425. ISSN 0006-3568. JSTOR 1293425.
- ↑ Androsiuk, Piotr; Chwedorzewska, Katarzyna J.; Dulska, Justyna; Milarska, Sylwia; Giełwanowska, Irena (2020-12-16). "Retrotransposon-based genetic diversity of Deschampsia antarctica Desv. from King George Island (Maritime Antarctic)". Ecology and Evolution. 11 (1): 648–663. doi:10.1002/ece3.7095. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 7790655.
- ↑ Young, Mark C., ed. (1996). Guinness Book of World Records 1997. Guinness Publishing Ltd. pp. 42. ISBN 0-9652383-0-X.
- ↑ Wali, Mohan K.; Evrendilek, Fatih; Fennessy, M. Siobhan (July 2009). The Environment: Science, Issues, and Solutions. CRC Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-4200-0733-6. Retrieved 25 Sep 2016.
- ↑ "Flourishing plants show warming Antarctica undergoing 'major change'". the Guardian. 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
- 1 2 3 Holderegger, Rolf; Stehlik, Ivana; Lewis Smith, Ronald I.; Abbott, Richard J. (1 May 2003). "Populations of Antarctic Hairgrass (Deschampsia antarctica) Show Low Genetic Diversity". Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research. 35 (2): 214–217. doi:10.1657/1523-0430(2003)035[0214:POAHDA]2.0.CO;2.full – via BioOne.
- ↑ Ryan. "Antarctic Plants: Pearlwort, Hair Grass & Palm Trees? | Antarctica Cruises". Retrieved 2026-08-21.
External links
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Media related to Deschampsia antarctica at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Deschampsia antarctica at Wikispecies- Plants in Antarctica
- Pearlwort & Hairgrass picture
- Anatomy of hairgrass
