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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.06.02.494534

The duration of Eragrostis capillaris is not strictly annual: it does not senesce, can reproduce multiple times, but lacks frost tolerance

McNickle, G. G.
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Abstract

The duration of Eragrostis capillaris (L.) Nees (love lacegrass) is currently described as an annual by all sources. Here, I describe observations that show it does not senesce naturally, can reproduce multiple times across multiple years, but lacks frost tolerance. I conclude that E. capillaris probably grows as an annual throughout much of its range due to killing frost, but can have a perennial duration in locations or years that do not have a killing frost. Its status as an annual is likely to change under a warming climate. I suggest its duration should be updated to "annual or perennial" in taxonomic guides. It remains an open question how common such shifts might be under a warming climate.

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McNickle, G. G.. 2022-06-05. The duration of Eragrostis capillaris is not strictly annual: it does not senesce, can reproduce multiple times, but lacks frost tolerance. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.02.494534

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