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] | |
Deschampsia antarctica mainly occurs on the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Islands, and along the western Antarctic Peninsula.[2] Deschampsia antartica distribution largely depends on the area's nutrient supply of the soil and its water distribution.[3] 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.[4][5] 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.[6]
In Antarctica, the plant can be found forming low clumps in wet, protected habitats.[2]