Species
Only two species seem incontrovertible: A. arenaria and A. breviligulata. Two other species have been proposed, and are discussed below.
- A. arenaria - European Marram Grass or European Beachgrass. Native to coasts of Europe (north to Iceland) and northwest Africa. Inflorescence to 25 cm long; broad.
- A. baltica has now been identified as a natural hybrid, × Ammocalamagrostis baltica, between Ammophila arenaria and Calamagrostis epigeios. The hybrid occurs in parts of northern Europe, mainly from the Baltic Sea west to eastern England.
- A. breviligulata - American Marram Grass or American Beachgrass. Native to coasts of eastern North America, including the shores of the Great Lakes. Inflorescence to 30 cm long; narrower than A. arenaria.
- A. champlainensis or A. breviligulata ssp. champlainensis - Champlain Beachgrass. Native to shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Champlain. Inflorescence to 22 cm long; very similar to A. breviligulata, and no longer considered a distinct species by several authorities.
Read more about this topic: Ammophila (Poaceae)
Famous quotes containing the word species:
“If we consider the superiority of the human species, the size of its brain, its powers of thinking, language and organization, we can say this: were there the slightest possibility that another rival or superior species might appear, on earth or elsewhere, man would use every means at his disposal to destroy it.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)
“Heaven and hell suppose two distinct species of men, the good and the bad. But the greatest part of mankind float betwixt vice and virtue.”
—David Hume (1711–1776)
“Under the species of Syndicalism and Fascism there appears for the first time in Europe a type of man who does not want to give reasons or to be right, but simply shows himself resolved to impose his opinions.”
—José Ortega Y Gasset (1883–1955)