Sesleria

a genus of perennial plants of the family Grami-neae. The densely matted grasses have flat blades or blades that are folded lengthwise. The spikelets are for the most part two-or three-flowered and gathered in a dense spicate inflorescence.

There are about 40 species, distributed in Europe (mainly in the south) and, to a lesser extent, in Western Asia. In the USSR five or six species are found in the European part and in the Caucasus. S.phleoides and S. anatolica (formerly S. autumnalis), which grow on gravelly limestone slopes and cliffs in the alpine zone of the Caucasus, serve as pasturage for sheep and goats. S. coerulea grows in the mountains of Western Europe and on marshy meadows and bogs in the northwestern part of the European USSR. Some species of Sesleria are cultivated as ornamentals and for the production of dry bouquets.