Deschampsia antarctica

Deschampsia antarctica, the Antarctic hair grass, is one of two flowering plants native to Antarctica, the other being Colobanthus quitensis (Antarctic pearlwort).

Deschampsia antarctica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Pooideae
Genus: Deschampsia
Species:
D. antarctica
Binomial name
Deschampsia antarctica
Synonyms[1]
  • Airidium elegantulum Steud.
  • Deschampsia elegantula (Steud.) Parodi
  • Deschampsia henrardii Kloos

They mainly occur on the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Islands, and along the western Antarctic Peninsula. A recent warming trend has increased germination, and thus number of seedlings and plants, also extending their range southward to cover larger areas; reports indicate a twenty-fivefold increase in their number.[2]

Deschampsia antarctica has been recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records as the southernmost flowering plant. In 1981, a specimen was found on the Antarctic Peninsula's Refuge Islands at a latitude of 68°21′S.[3][4]

Since 2009, both D. antarctica and C. quitensis have been spreading rapidly, which studies suggest has been the result of rising air temperatures and a reduction in the number of fur seals.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Deschampsia antarctica". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  2. Lichens, Antarctic; Significance, Vascular Plants: Their; Rudolph, E. D. (Apr 1965), "American Institute of Biological Sciences", BioScience, American Institute of Biological Sciences, 15 (4): 285–287, doi:10.2307/1293425, JSTOR 1293425
  3. Young, Mark C. (ed.). Guinness Book of World Records 1997. Guinness Publishing Ltd. pp. 42. ISBN 0-9652383-0-X.
  4. Wali, Mohan K.; Evrendilek, Fatih; Fennessy, M. Siobhan (July 2009). The Environment: Science, Issues, and Solutions. CRC Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-4200-0733-6. Retrieved 25 Sep 2016.
  5. "Flourishing plants show warming Antarctica undergoing 'major change'". the Guardian. 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
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