Nardus stricta

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Nardus stricta
Nardus stricta - Berlin Botanical Garden - IMG 8567.JPG
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Nardus
Species: N. stricta
Binomial name
Nardus stricta

Nardus stricta, matgrass, moor matgrass, or nard grass, is a densely tufted, tough, wiry bunchgrass perennial plant species belonging to the grass family Poaceae. Its native range includes Britain and northern temperate regions of Europe and Western Asia.[1] It is the only species in the genus Nardus.[2]

It is doubtfully native in North America and has been introduced to other parts of the world with suitable habitats including New Zealand.[3] It occurs on heath, moorland, hills, and mountains on nutrient poor acidic sandy to peaty soils and is strongly calcifuge, avoiding calcareous soils. It can occur from low elevations to over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), becoming a community dominant in late snow patches on mountains. Nardus stricta may also become a dominant species in habitats grazed by cattle or sheep because it is tough and unpalatable.[4] [5]


Culms are erect and 25–60 centimetres (9.8–23.6 in) long, with grey-green leaf-blades filiform and involute, ranging from 4–30 centimetres (1.6–11.8 in) long by 0.5–1 millimetre (0.020–0.039 in) wide, i.e. bristle like. The ligules of basal leaves are 0.4–0.8 millimetres (0.016–0.031 in) long and blunt, while those of culm leaves are longer, up to 2 millimetres (0.079 in), and more pointed.[2]

The roots and shoots are very closely packed together at the base of the plant producing a white, tough, highly reflective feature.

The spikelets are very slender and loosely overlapping in two rows each side of the spikelet axis. Each lemma is tipped with an awn.

It flowers from June until August. [6]



  1. ^ Chadwick M.J. (1960). "Biological Flora of the British Isles: Nardus stricta (L.)". Journal of Ecology 48: 255–267. doi:10.2307/2257324. 
  2. ^ a b Cope, T.; Gray, A. (2009). Grasses of the British Isles. BSBI Handbook 13. London, U.K.: Botanical Society of the British Isles. p. 53. ISBN 9780901158420. 
  3. ^ Kissling W.D.; Schnittler M., Seddon, P.J., Dickinson, K.J.M., Lord, J.M. (2005). "Invasion ecology of alien tussock grass Nardus stricta (Poaceae) at Lake Pukaki, Canterbury, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Botany 43 (3): 601–612. doi:10.1080/0028825x.2005.9512977. 
  4. ^ Thomas B.; Fairbairn C.B. (1956). "The white bent (Nardus stricta): Its composition, digestibilty and probable nutritive value". Grass and forage science 11 (4): 230–234. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2494.1956.tb00079.x. 
  5. ^ Welch D. (1986). "Studies in the grazing of heather moorland in north-east Scotland. V. Trends in Nardus stricta and other unpalatable graminoids". Journal of Applied Ecology 23: 1047–1058. doi:10.2307/2403954. 
  6. ^ C.E. Hubbard (1978). Grasses. Penguin Books. 
  • Sp. pl. 1:53. 1753

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