Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 96. (Budapest 2004)

Kováts, D.: Some differences in morphological structure of the vegetative parts (herbage) of Sesleria heufleriana Schur and Sesleria hungarica Ujhelyi (Poaceae)

The number of leaves The number of leaves measurable in the blooming period and immediately after that is usually 6 or 7. The greatest number of leaves is 9 among the investigated populaions, but occurring also only at garden conditions. In most of the cases the lowest 3 or 4 senile leaf blades are split, leaf sheaths reduced to fibres (DEYL 1946). According to my observations the upper (young) 1 to 3 leaves remain unbroken and mesurable. The ratio of lengths of leaf blades and leaf sheaths at different levels of the culm Regarding the average data of leaf blade and leaf sheath lengths in both species the lengths of leaf blades decrease at the culm from below to upwards, from senile leaves to juvenile leaves (Fig. 3, Tables 3-4). In contrast with this the lengths of leaf sheats change the other way round and consequently there is increase at the culm from below to upwards, the sheaths of senile lower leaves are shorther, then they continually increase in lengths at a higher level, finally the leaf sheats of the youngest leaves are the longest, as usual in most grasses. The sheaths of the youngest, upermost leaves are on the average 5 times longer than the leaf blades (16/3 cm, or 14/2.5 cm) on average at both Sesleria taxa. This ratio turns to the contrary already at the second, youngest leaves from above Fig. 2. Distribution of internode lengths by levels of culms (empty bar = S. hungarica, filled bar = S. heufleriana )