Desmazeria philistaea, Cutandia philistaea,
Fern grass, hard poa, rigid fescue,
Hebrew: אדמדמית פלשתית, Arabic: ديزمازيريا

Scientific name:  Desmazeria philistaea (Boiss.) H.Scholz
Synonym name:  Cutandia philistaea (Boiss.) Jackson
Common name:  Fern grass, hard poa, rigid fescue
Hebrew name:  אדמדמית פלשתית
Arabic name:  ديزمازيريا, dizmaziria
Family:  Gramineae (Poaceae), Grass Family, משפחת הדגניים

 Desmazeria philistaea, Cutandia philistaea, אדמדמית פלשתית,  ديزمازيريا

Life form:  Annual
Spinescence:  Absent
Stems:  Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; 10-30 cm long
Leaves:  Alternate, entire leaf, smooth margin
Inflorescence:  A panicle, or composed of racemes
Flowers:  Flowers hermaphrodite only, purplish, green
Fruits / pods:  Caryopsis with adherent pericarp
Flowering Period:  March, April, May
Habitat:  Sand
Distribution:  Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands
Chorotype:  Mediterranean
Summer shedding:  Ephemeral

 Desmazeria philistaea, Cutandia philistaea, אדמדמית פלשתית,  ديزمازيريا


Derivation of the botanical name:
Desmazeria, named for John Baptiste Henri Joseph Desmazières, (1796-1862) a French merchant, amateur botanist, and editor of scientific journals.
philistaea, Pheleseth / Pleshet - Philistine, Hebrew: פְּלֶשֶׁת
  • The standard author abbreviation Boiss. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
  • The standard author abbreviation H.Scholz is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.

 Desmazeria philistaea, Cutandia philistaea, אדמדמית פלשתית,  ديزمازيريا