Arrhenatherum elatius J.Presl & C.Presl 1819

Lazkov, Georgy & Sennikov, Alexander, 2014, New records in vascular plants alien to Kyrgyzstan, Biodiversity Data Journal 2, pp. 1018-1018 : 1018

Arrhenatherum elatius J.Presl & C.Presl 1819

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: 32 ; recordedBy: student excursion of the Department of botany and plant physiology, Kyrgyz National University; Taxon: family: Poaceae; genus: Arrhenatherum; specificEpithet: elatius; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: (L.) J.Presl & C.Presl; Location: continent: Asia; country: Kyrgyzstan; stateProvince: Ysyk-Köl Region; locality: Vicinity of Bosteri Village ; decimalLatitude: 42.6464; decimalLongitude: 77.1656; Identification: identifiedBy: G.A.Lazkov; dateIdentified: 08/15/2013; Event: eventDate: 01/06/2013 - 31/06/2013; year: 2013; month: 6; eventRemarks: alien plant; Record Level: collectionID: 88420; institutionCode: FRU; basisOfRecord: specimen Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: 33 ; recordedBy: A. Sennikov & G. Lazkov; Taxon: family: Poaceae; genus: Arrhenatherum; specificEpithet: elatius; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: (L.) J.Presl & C.Presl; Location: continent: Asia; country: Kyrgyzstan; stateProvince: Talas Region; locality: Talas Valley, Koek-Say Village ; verbatimElevation: 1220; decimalLatitude: 42.510106; decimalLongitude: 71.117674; Identification: identifiedBy: A.N.Sennikov; dateIdentified: 08/08/2013; Event: eventDate: 08/08/2013; year: 2013; month: 8; day: 8; habitat: Remnants of old cultivation along an artificial brook, dispersed and established; fieldNumber: 195; eventRemarks: alien plant; Record Level: collectionID: 88420; institutionCode: FRU; basisOfRecord: specimen

Native distribution and occurrence in Central Asia

This economically important species is very commonly cultivated in Europe as forage and ornamental plant, often escaping and getting established ( Tzvelev 1976). Its native distribution area lies in Europe, the Mediterranean and Western Asia ( Tzvelev 1976). In the mountainous Central Asia, in addition to the native occurrence in Turkmenistan ( Rozhevits 1932, Nikitin and Geldykhanov 1988), it was locally cultivated on experimental fields but had never been commonly introduced ( Sidorenko 1957). In Kazakhstan Arrhenatherum elatius was cultivated for artificial grasslands and lawns, and characterized as easy to run wild ( Gamayunova 1956).

Occurrence in Kyrgyzstan

This species has never been reported from Kyrgyzstan. We observed Arrhenatherum elatius growing as self-sawn relics of abandoned cultivation in the private garden in Kök-Say Village (southwestern part of the Talas Depression), originally planted for forage and now spreading along artificial brooks outside the village. Another record (Fig. 8) comes from a student excursion to the northern side of the Ysyk-Köl Lake, where the species was cultivated as ornamental plant in the resort area.

Invasion status in Kyrgyzstan

The species may be considered locally established at Kök-Say because of its persistence and spread from the place of original cultivation. In the observed place the species does not show obvious threats to the native vegetation. The invasion status of the other locality is not ascertained.