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Ammophila
Sign in to saveAlso known as Marram grass, Beach grass, Beachgrass, Marram, Salt-tolerant grass
genus of grasses
Species
marehalmslekta
Genus
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderPoales
- FamilyPoaceae
via · Kew POWO
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 1,613
- With media
- 268
- Family
- Poaceae
- Collections
- CAS, MHNCA, CSU, MICH, PSUC, TAES
- Recorded in
- United States, Mexico, South Africa, Netherlands
Wikidata facts
Show 8 more facts
- Commons category
- Ammophila (plant)
- taxon name
- Ammophila
- taxon rank
- genus
- topic's main category
- Category:Ammophila
- taxon common name
- beachgrass
- homonymous taxon
- Ammophila
- taxon synonym of
- Calamagrostis
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~8 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Ammophila (synonymous with Psamma P. Beauv.) is a genus of flowering plants consisting of two or three very similar species of grasses. The genus name Ammophila originates from the Greek words ἄμμος (ámmos), meaning "sand", and φίλος (philos), meaning "friend". The common names for the grasses include marram grass, bent grass, and beachgrass. The grasses are found almost exclusively on the first line of coastal dunes. Their extensive system of creeping underground stems or rhizomes allows them to thrive under conditions of shifting sands and high winds, and helps stabilize the dunes and prevent coastal erosion.
Ammophila species are native to the coasts of the North Atlantic Ocean where they are usually the dominant species on dunes. Their native range includes few inland regions, with the Great Lakes of North America being the main exception.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ammophila” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.