7.01 NARDUS L.
Mary E. Barkworth

Plants perennial; cespitose. Culms 3–60 cm, erect; basal branching intravaginal. Leaves mostly basal; sheaths open; auricles absent; ligules membranous, entire, rounded; blades filiform, tightly convolute, epidermes with bicellular microhairs. Inflorescences terminal spikes, 1-sided, spikelets in 2 rows, loosely to closely imbricate; rachises terminating in a bristle; disarticulation below the floret. Spikelets triangular in cross section, with 1 floret, floret bisexual. Lower glumes a highly reduced, cupular rim; upper glumes absent or vestigial; florets 5–10 mm; lemmas linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-oblong, chartaceous, enveloping the paleas, 3-veined, awned; paleas hyaline, 2-veined, 2-keeled; lodicules absent; anthers 3; styles 1. x = 13. Name from the Greek nardos, referring to spikenard, an aromatic herb. It is not clear why the name was applied to this genus; its only species is not scented.

Nardus is a monospecific European genus. Its relationships to other genera are unclear.

SELECTED REFERENCES Hubbard, C.E. 1984. Grasses: A Guide to their Structure, Identification, Uses, and Distribution in the British Isles, ed. 3, rev. J.C.E. Hubbard. Penguin Books, Hammondsworth, Middlesex, England and New York, New York, U.S.A. 476 pp.; Tutin, T.G. 1980. Nardus L. P. 255 in T.G. Tutin, V.H. Heywood, N.A. Burges, D.M. Moore, D.H. Valentine, S.M. Walters, and D.A. Webb (eds.). Flora Europaea, vol. 5. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England. 452 pp.

For an interactive dichotomous key, click here; for an interactive, multientry key, click here.

1. Nardus stricta L.
Matgrass, Narde Raide
Culms (3)10–40(60) cm, stiff, wiry, frequently gray-green; nodes 1(2) per culm, restricted to the lower portion of the culms, pubescent; internodes glabrous. Sheaths smooth, whitish, tough; ligules 0.5–1(2) mm, blunt; blades 4–30 cm long, 0.5–1 mm wide, stiff, tightly convolute, abaxial surfaces hispid, hairs about 0.3 mm, adaxial surfaces scabridulous, ribbed over the veins, apices sharply acute. Spikes (1)3–8 cm, terminating in a single bristle, bristle to 1 cm. Spikelets 5–10 mm, narrowly linear, triangular in cross section, bluish or purplish; lemmas 5–10 mm, 2–3-keeled, awned, awns 1–4.5 mm; paleas slightly shorter than the lemmas; anthers 1–4 mm. Caryopses 3–4.5 mm, tightly enclosed by the lemma and palea. 2n = 26.

Nardus stricta is a widespread xerophytic and glycophytic species in Europe, usually growing in open areas on sandy or peaty soils. In the Flora region, it is found in scattered locations from upper Michigan to Newfoundland and Greenland, and in Oregon and Idaho, where it is listed as a state noxious weed. The stiff, sharp leaves make it unpalatable; hence it tends to survive in areas of heavy grazing. This, combined with its broad ecological range, makes its potential for spreading in western rangelands a matter of concern.