Aira caryophyllea

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Family:	POACEAE
Species:	Aira caryophyllea L.
Common Name:	Common Silver Hairgrass
Habitat:	Disturbed sites.
Associated Ecological Communities:	**
Growth Habit:	Herb
Duration:	Annual
Category:	Vascular
USDA Symbol:	**
Plant Notes:	**
Taxonomic Notes:	**
Status:	Not Native, FACU (NWI)
References:	**
Specimen:	View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

Family	POACEAE - Grass family
Genus	Aira
Species	Aira caryophyllea L. - Common Silver Hairgrass

Citation

Citation	Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 66. 1753.
Basionym:	**
Type:	Without data (lectotype: LINN 85.22). Lectotypified by Clayton, in Milne-Redhead & Polhill, Fl. Trop. E. Afr., Gramineae 1: 84. 1970.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

Synonym	Full Citation	Basionym	Type
Agrostis caryophyllea	Agrostis caryophyllea (Linnaeus) Salisbury, Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton 25. 1796.	Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus 1753.
Aira caryophyllea var. latigluma	Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus, var. latigluma (Steudel) C. E. Hubbard, in Oliver, Fl. Trop. Afr. 10: 88. 1917.	Aira latigluma Steudel 1854.
Aira caryophyllea var. major	Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus, var. major Brongniart, in Duperrey, Voy. Monde, Bot. 2: 24. 1829.		CHILE
Aira caryophyllea var. minor	Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus, var. minor Brongniart, in Duperrey, Voy. Monde, Bot. 2: 24. 1829.		FALKLAND ISLANDS
Aira divaricata	Aira divaricata Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris 6: 398. 1827, non Pourret 1788.		FRANCE
Aira edouardii	Aira edouardii Reuter ex Duval-Jouve, Bull. Soc. Bot. France 12: 88. 1865.
Aira hostii	Aira hostii Steudel, Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 221. 1854.
Aira latigluma	Aira latigluma Steudel, Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 221. 1854.		ETHIOPIA
Aira patulipes	Aira patulipes Jordan ex Boreau, Fl. Centre France, ed. 3. 2: 701. 1857	Aira divaricata Loiseleur-Deslongchamps 1827, non Pourret 1788
Aira plesiantha	Aira plesiantha Jordan ex Boreau, Fl. Centre France, ed. 3. 2: 701. 1857.		FRANCE
Airella caryophyllea	Airella caryophyllea (Linnaeus) Dumortier, Bull. Soc. Roy. Bot. Belgique 7: 68. 1868.	Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus 1753.
Airopsis caryophyllea	Airopsis caryophyllea (Linnaeus) Fries, Novit. Fl. Suec. Mant. Tert. 180. 1845.	Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus 1753.
Avena caryophyllea	Avena caryophyllea (Linnaeus) F. H. Wiggers, Prim. Fl. Holsat. 10. 1780.	Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus 1753.
Fussia caryophyllea	Fussia caryophyllea (Linnaeus) Schur, Enum. Pl. Transsilv. 754. 1866.	Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus 1753.
Salmasia vulgaris	Salmasia vulgaris Bubani, Fl. Pyren. 4: 316. 1901, nom. illegit.	Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus 1753.
Aspris caryophyllea	Aspris caryophyllea (Linnaeus) Nash, in Britton & A. Brown, Ill. Fl. N. U.S., ed. 2. 1: 214. 1913.	Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus 1753.

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Bullock, Calhoun, Clarke, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, DeKalb, Geneva, Lee, Macon, Marengo, Marshall, Mobile, Pike, Sumter

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, JSU, TROY, UNA, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1897 - 1965

Barcode / Accession No.	County	Coll. Date	Collector & Collection No.	Herbarium & Herbarium Name Used
UWAL0017570	Marengo	20 Apr 2013	England, J. Kevin 4166	UWAL Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
AUA000014810	Crenshaw	22 Apr 1988	DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R. 4525	AUA AIRA CARYOPHYLLEA L.
UNA00064483	Bullock	29 Apr 2005	Diamond, Alvin R. 15232	UNA Aira caryophyllea L.
UWAL0012359	Bullock	29 Mar 2012	Dykes, Bailee 449	UWAL Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
UNA00003204	Cullman	_ Apr 1893	Mohr, Charles s.n.	UNA Aira caryophyllea L.
TROY000044502	DeKalb	18 May 2008	Spaulding, Daniel D. 12894	TROY Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
TROY000044165	Conecuh	26 Apr 2016	Diamond, Alvin R. 27352	TROY Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
UNA00003300	Clarke	26 Apr 1965	Duncan, Wilbur H. 22488	UNA Aira caryophyllea L.
TROY000011432	Geneva	14 Apr 2001	Kral, Robert 90781	TROY Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
UWAL0002387	DeKalb	18 May 2008	Spaulding, Daniel D. 12894	UWAL Aira caryophyllea L.
AUA000014812	Macon	10 Apr 1965	KOELLING, ALFRED C. 2138	AUA AIRA CARYOPHYLLEA L.
JSU102691	Marshall	21 May 1992	Spaulding, Daniel D. 1776	JSU Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
TROY000011433	Pike	22 Apr 2002	Diamond, Alvin R. 13058	TROY Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
TROY000011430	Bullock	02 May 2002	Diamond, Alvin R. 13113	TROY Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
UNA00003209	Lee	16 May 1897	Baker, Charles F. s.n.	UNA Aira caryophyllea L.
AUA000014814	Pike	24 Apr 1994	DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R. 9087	AUA AIRA CARYOPHYLLEA L.
AUA000014813	Pike	27 May 1995	DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R. 9559	AUA AIRA CARYOPHYLLEA L.
UNA00003300	Clarke	26 Apr 1965	Duncan, Wilbur H. 22488	UNA Aira caryophyllea L.
JSU102690	Calhoun	02 May 1999	Spaulding, Daniel D. 10590	JSU Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
ALNHS00006373	Bullock	22 May 2019	Barger, T. Wayne SP#4422	ALNHS Aira caryophyllea L.
AUA000014811	Dale	15 Apr 1992	DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R. 8110	AUA AIRA CARYOPHYLLEA L.
UWAL0039793	Conecuh	26 Apr 2016	Diamond, Alvin R. 27352	UWAL Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
UNA00003244	Mobile	_ Apr 1873	Mohr, Charles s.n.	UNA Aira caryophyllea L.
TROY000038046	Bullock	29 Mar 2012	Dykes, Bailee 449	TROY Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
TROY000011431	Bullock	29 Apr 2005	Diamond, Alvin R. 15232	TROY Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
UWAL0039084	Bullock	29 Apr 2017	Horne, Howard E. 3797	UWAL Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
UNA00057993	Pike	22 Apr 2002	Diamond, Alvin R. 13058	UNA Aira caryophyllea L.
AUA000040524	Sumter	22 Apr 1998	OWSLEY, C.MICHAEL 1782	AUA AIRA CARYOPHYLLEA L.
JSU102692	Clarke	26 Apr 1965	Duncan, Wilbur H. 22488	JSU Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus
AUA000014809	Bullock	29 Apr 2005	DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R. 15232	AUA AIRA CARYOPHYLLEA L.
TROY000045336	Marengo	20 Apr 2013	England, J. Kevin 4166	TROY Aira caryophyllea Linnaeus

View a List of All Ecological Communities

For more information, contact: Brian R. Keener, Ph.D.

Data last modified: 9/19/2025

Web Development: The Florida Center for Community Design + Research

A member of the University of South Florida family of PlantAtlas.org sites

Citation Information:

Keener, B.R., A.R. Diamond, T.W. Barger, L.J. Davenport, P.G. Davison, S.L. Ginzbarg, C.J. Hansen, D.D. Spaulding, J.K. Triplett, and M. Woods. 2025. Alabama Plant Atlas. [S.M. Landry and K.N. Campbell (original application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research. University of South Florida]. University of West Alabama, Livingston, Alabama.

Data, text, and images licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Aira caryophyllea

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Classification

Citation

Synonyms

Specimens and Distribution