{{Short description|Species of grass}} {{Speciesbox |image = Deschampsia-flexuosa-01.jpg |taxon = Avenella flexuosa |authority = (L.) Drejer. |synonyms_ref = <ref name="Kew World Checklist"/> |synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true |''Aira flexuosa'' <small>L.</small> |''Arundo flexuosa'' <small>(L.) Clairv.</small> |''Avena flexuosa'' <small>(L.) Mert. & W.D.J.Koch</small> |''Deschampsia flexuosa'' <small>(L.) Trin</small> |''Lerchenfeldia flexuosa'' <small>(L.) Schur</small> |''Podionapus flexuosus'' <small>(L.) Dulac</small> |''Salmasia flexuosa'' <small>(L.) Bubani</small> |''Aira montana'' <small>L.</small> |''Avena montana'' <small>(L.) Weber</small> |''Aira caryophyllaea'' <small>Leers</small> |''Aira arenaria'' <small>F.W.Schmidtn.</small> |''Aira flexilis'' <small>L. ex Giseke</small> |''Aira scabrosetacea'' <small>Knapp</small> |''Aira versicolor'' <small>Roem. & Schult.</small> |''Deschampsia alba'' <small>Roem. & Schult.</small> |''Eriachne montana'' <small>Steud.</small> |''Panicum rubigerum'' <small>Steud.</small> |''Aira alpina'' <small>Sobol. ex Rupr.</small> |''Avenella cuprina'' <small>Schur</small> |''Aira vestita'' <small>Steud.</small> |''Aira legei'' <small>Boreau</small> |''Lerchenfeldia cuprina'' <small>Schur</small> |''Aira euflexuosa'' <small>Syme</small> |''Deschampsia stricta'' <small>Hack.</small> |''Aira stricta'' <small>(Hack.) Nyman</small> |''Aira collina'' <small>(Dumort.) B.D.Jacks.</small> |''Deschampsia fuegina'' <small>Phil.</small> |''Deschampsia martinii'' <small>Phil.</small> |''Deschampsia tenella'' <small>Phil.</small> |''Avena kawakamii'' <small>Hayata</small> |''Deschampsia philippii'' <small>Macloskie</small> |''Deschampsia ruwensorensis'' <small>Chiov.</small> |''Deschampsia macloviana'' <small>Gand.</small> |''Deschampsia montana'' <small>(L.) Rouy</small> |''Deschampsia vestita'' <small>(Steud.) Hauman & Parodi</small> |''Deschampsia kawakamii'' <small>(Hayata) Honda</small> |''Deschampsia mairei'' <small>Sennen</small> |''Lerchenfeldia vestita'' <small>(Steud.) Tzvelev</small> |''Avenella stricta'' <small>(Hack.) P.Silva</small> |''Lerchenfeldia montana'' <small>(L.) A.P.Khokhr.</small> |''Avenella corsica'' <small>(Tausch) Landolt</small> |}}}}
'''''Avenella flexuosa''''', commonly known as '''wavy hair-grass''', is a species of bunchgrass in the grass family widely distributed in Eurasia, Africa, South America, and North America.<ref name="Kew World Checklist">[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=407693 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]</ref>
==Description== Wavy hair-grass, ''Avenella flexuosa'', has wiry leaves and delicate, shaking panicles formed of silvery or purplish-brown flower heads on wavy, hair-like stalks. The leaves are bunched in tight tufts with plants forming a very tussocky, low sward 5 to 20 cm tall before flowering, to 30 cm high. <gallery widths="150px" heights="150px" mode=nolines> File:Deschampsia flexuosa.jpg|Illustration of ''Deschampsia flexuosa'' (including ''D. caespitosa'') File:Avenella flexuosa.jpg|Mature inflorescence </gallery>
==Distribution and habitat== ''Avenella flexuosa'' is found naturally in dry grasslands and on moors and heaths.
It is also an important component of the ground flora of birch and oak woodland.<ref>see British NVC community W11 (''Quercus petraea''–''Betula pubescens''–''Oxalis acetosella'' woodland) and British NVC community W16 (''Quercus'' spp.–''Betula'' spp.–''Deschampsia flexuosa'' woodland).</ref>
The plant has a preference for acidic, free-draining soil, and avoids chalk and limestone areas. It can exist over {{convert|1200|m}} above sea level.<ref>[http://www.bsbi.org.uk/identification.html BSBI Description] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717004923/http://www.bsbi.org.uk/identification.html |date=2011-07-17 }} retrieved 1 December 2010.</ref>
==See also== *Woodland and scrub communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system—''birch and oak woodland''
==References== {{commonscat|Avenella flexuosa|Avenella flexuosa}} {{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q106580875|from2=Q161742 }}
Category:Pooideae Category:Bunchgrasses of Africa Category:Bunchgrasses of Europe Category:Bunchgrasses of North America Category:Bunchgrasses of South America Category:Butterfly food plants
{{Pooideae-stub}}