''Dactylis'' is a genus of Eurasian and North African plants in the

bluegrass subfamily The Pooideae are the largest subfamily of the grass family Poaceae, with about 4,000 species in 15 tribes and roughly 200 genera. They include some major cereals such as wheat, barley, oat, rye and many lawn and pasture grasses. They are often re ...

within the

grass family Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and ...

. ''Dactylis'' is native to North Africa, they are found throughout the world, and are an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

. They are known in English as cock's-foot or cocksfoot grasses, also sometimes as orchard grasses.

Taxonomy

The genus has been treated as containing only a single species '' Dactylis glomerata'' by many authors, treating variation in the genus at only subspecific rank within ''D. glomerata'',Flora Europaea
''Dactylis glomerata''
Flora of China Town
''Dactylis''
/ref> but more recently, there has been a trend to accept two species,Germplasm Resources Information Network
Species Records of ''Dactylis''''Dactylis glomerata''.
/ref> while some authors accept even more species in the genus, particularly

island endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

species in Macaronesia.Schönfelder, P., & Ludwig, D. (1996). Dactylis metlesicsii (Poaceae), eine neue Art der Gebirgsvegetation von Tenerife, Kanarische Inseln. ''Willdenowia'' 26 (1–2): 217–223
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Description

''Dactylis'' species are perennial grasses, forming dense tussocks growing to 15–140 centimetres tall, with

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

20–50 cm long and up to 1.5 cm broad, and distinctive tufted triangular flowerheads comprising a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

10–15 cm long, turning pale grey-brown at seed maturity. The spikelets are 5–9 mm long, typically containing two to five flowers. The stems have a flattened base, which distinguishes them from many other grasses.Interactive Flora of NW Europ
''Dactylis glomerata'' (Cock's-foot)
/ref>FAO factsheet: ''Dactylis glomerata''
/ref> ;Accepted speciesKew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> * '' Dactylis glomerata'' L. - Eurasia and North Africa; naturalized in southern Africa,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, and various oceanic islands * '' Dactylis smithii'' Link -

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

;Formerly included Many species now considered better suited to other genera: ''

Aeluropus ''Aeluropus'' is a genus of Eurasian and African plants in the grass family, found primarily in desert regions. ; Species * ''Aeluropus badghyzii'' Tzvelev - Turkmenistan * ''Aeluropus laciniatus'' Khodash. - Iran * ''Aeluropus lagopoides'' (L.) ...

Ammochloa Cutandia Desmostachya

Dinebra ''Dinebra'' is a genus of Asian, African, and Pacific Island plants in the grass family. ; Species * ''Dinebra haareri'' (Stapf & C.E.Hubb.) P.M.Peterson & N.Snow - Kenya, Tanzania * ''Dinebra marquisensis'' (F.Br.) P.M.Peterson & N.Snow ...

Elytrophorus Eragrostis Festuca Koeleria Odyssea

Poa ''Poa'' is a genus of about 570 species of grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass (mainly in Europe and Asia), bluegrass (mainly in North America), tussock (some New Zealand species), a ...

Rostraria Schismus Spartina Tribolium Trisetaria

Wangenheimia ''Wangenheimia '' is a monotypic genus of plants in the grass family. The only known species is ''Wangenheimia lima'',

'' * ''Dactylis fasciculata'' Lam. - now '' Spartina alterniflora'' * ''Dactylis maritima'' Walter - now '' Spartina alterniflora''

Ecology

''Dactylis'' is most commonly known as orchard grass. Orchard grasses are suited for habitats like waste lands and meadows. These grasses are able to grow in dry and mildly wet areas. They are a food source for many species of insects and birds. The insect and animals consume the grass's the seeds, leaves, and roots. ''Dactylis'', orchard grass, supports meadow ecosystems by feeding many insects and birds that dominate the areas; these species include: beetles, grasshoppers, larvae, caterpillars, sparrows, and horned larks. Snakes, small mammals, and insects also use orchard grass as a means of shelter and stealth through grass lands.

Cytology

The taxa show several different levels of polyploidy. The taxa show three levels of polyploidy, including tetraploid, diploid, and hexaploidy. ''Dactylis glomerata'' subsp. ''glomerata'' and ''D. glomerata'' subsp. ''hispanica'' are tetraploid forms with 28 chromosomes. Several of the other taxa, including ''D. glomerata''. subsp. ''himalayensis'' (syn. ''D. himalayensis''), ''D. glomerata'' subsp. ''lobata'' (syn. ''D. polygama''), ''D. metlesicsii'', and some forms of ''D. smithii'', are diploid with 2''n'' = 14; hexaploids with 42 chromosomes also occur rarely.Míka, V., Kohoutek, A., & Odstrèilová, V. (2002). Characteristics of important diploid and tetraploid subspecies of ''Dactylis'' from point of view of the forage crop production. ''Rostlinná Výroba'' 48 (6): 243–248
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''Dactylis'' are reproductively able to produce natural triploid and pentaploid. This occurs in habitats of large populations of diploid and tetraploid ''Dactylis'' showing one way

gene flow In population genetics, gene flow (also known as gene migration or geneflow and allele flow) is the transfer of genetic material from one population to another. If the rate of gene flow is high enough, then two populations will have equivalent a ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1047931 Pooideae Poaceae genera Bunchgrasses of Africa Bunchgrasses of Asia Bunchgrasses of Europe Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus