''Deschampsia antarctica'', the Antarctic hair grass, is one of two

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s native to

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

, the other being '' Colobanthus quitensis'' (Antarctic pearlwort).

Ecology

''Deschampsia antarctica'' mainly occurs on the

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands, islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the n ...

, and along the western

Antarctic Peninsula The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martin in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctica. ...

. ''Deschampsia antartica'' distribution largely depends on the area's nutrient supply of the soil and its water distribution. ''Deschampsia antarctica'' has been recorded by the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

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. Since 2009, both ''D.'' ''antarctica'' and ''C. quitensis'' have been spreading rapidly, which studies suggest has been the result of rising air temperatures and a reduction in the number of

fur seal Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds belonging to the subfamily Arctocephalinae in the family Otariidae. They are much more closely related to sea lions than Earless seal, true seals, and share with them external ears (Pinna (anatomy ...

s. In Antarctica, the plant can be found forming low clumps in wet, protected habitats.

References

External links

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Plants in Antarctica

Anatomy of hairgrass
{{Taxonbar, from=Q426089

antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

Flora of central Chile Flora of southern Chile Flora of Northwest Argentina Flora of South Argentina Flora of Antarctica Flora of the subantarctic islands

Ecology

See also

References

External links