Author: آمنه غلامی 
Aegilops columnaris Zhuk.
Parvin Salehi Shanjani, Leila Rasoulzadeh, Hamideh Javadi,
Mohammad Amini Rad and Seyed Esmael Seyedian
Natural Resources Gene Bank, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran, Iran.
Uploaded at September 2022
Scientific editor: Masoumeh Izadpanah
Seed Storage
Storage behavior of this species is orthodox (desiccation-tolerant seeds); dry to 15-20% eRH and store at -20°C.
Germination requirements
Seeds do not have physiological and physical dormancy and are easily able to germinate. Sterilize and germinate seeds under a constant temperature regime of 20 ºC and 16/8 hr. light/dark photoperiod.
Morphology
Fruit/seed type: Caryopsis, adhering to the lemmas and paleas
Fruit/seed shape: Lanceolate, ventral side longitudinally furrowed, gradually narrowed towards the hilum, apex slightly hairy, hilum oval. Surface longitudinally striate, slightly lustrous, straw color.
Fruit/seed size: Length 7 to 8.3 mm, width 2 to 2.2 mm in an accession from Damavand, Tehran with 1000 seeds (caryopsis with lemmas and paleas) weight 27.1 g, which was collected in 2011 by Habibi and the cultivated sample was identified by Mohamad Aminirad with an accession number of 40111.
1000 Fruit/seed (caryopsis with lemmas and paleas) weight: 8.9 to 28 g
Biological features
Life form: Annual, culms 20-50 cm, erect or geniculate, usually form many tillers
Inflorescence, flower type, and pollination mechanisms: Inflorescence terminal spikes, 2–4 cm long (excluding awns), spikes breaking off as a unit; lower 2–3 spikelets fertile, upper 2 ones sterile, smaller, vestigial spikelets 3, glumes of fertile spikelet 7–11 mm long, with 2–3 awns, lemmas with 2–3 setulose awns, more slender and shorter than the glume awns. Flowers hermaphrodite, plant monoecious, and cross-pollinated. Pollination is carried out by the wind.
Time of flowering: May-Jun
Time of seed ripening: Late spring to early summer
Seed dispersal methods: By weight or livestock
Geographical distribution: Endemic to Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syrian Arab Republic, and Turkey), Asia (Armenia, and Azerbaijan), and Europe (Greece)
Distribution in Iran: North and West, mostly in provinces of Lorestan, Tehran, and Golestan
Taxonomy
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Aegilops
Species: A. columnaris
Persian name: Gandomniaye sotuni
References and Links
Saufferer, S. M. 1993. Aegilops. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. Flora of North America North of Mexico [Online]. New York and Oxford. Vol. 24. http://beta.floranorthamerica.org. Accessed 2021.
Terrell, E. and Peterson, P. 1993. Caryopsis Morphology and Classification in the Triticeae (Pooideae: Poaceae). Smithsonian Contributions to Botany. 83. 10.5479/si.0081024X.83.
Cabi, E. 2010. Taxonomic Revision of the Tribe Triticeae Dumortier (Poaceae) in Turkey.Ph.D. – Doctoral Program, Middle East Technical University.
Bojňanský, V. and Fargašová, A. 2007. Atlas of seeds and fruits of central and East-European flora: the Carpathian Mountains region. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1046 pp.
Ghahraman, A. Flore of Iran. Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands with University of Tehran Publication. https://floraofiran.net/index.php.
Mozaffarian, V. 2012. A Pictorial Dictionary of Botany. Farhang Moaser publisher, 1088 pp.
Mozaffarian, V.A. 1998. Dictionary of Iranian Plants Names. Moaser Publisher, Tehran Farhang, 671 pp.
Sharma, O.P. 2009. Plant taxonomy 2E. Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi, 563 pp.
