Alopecurus magellanicus
Alopecurus carolinianus
alpine foxtail, alpine meadow-foxtail, boreal foxtail, foxtail, vulpin alpin, vulpin boreale
Carolina foxtail, Carolina meadow-foxtail, tuft foxtail, tuft meadow-foxtail
(6)10-80 cm, erect or decumbent.
5-50 cm, erect or decumbent.
1-5 cm long, 8-14 mm wide.
1-7 cm long, 3-6 mm wide, always dense.
3-5 mm, connate in the lower 1/8, membranous, densely pilose throughout, keels not winged, ciliate, apices acute and parallel;
lemmas 2.5-4.5 mm, connate in the lower 1/2 - 2/3, glabrous proximally, finely pubescent distally, apices usually obtuse, occasionally truncate, awns 2-6(8) mm, geniculate, exceeding the lemmas by 0-5 mm;
anthers 2.3-3 mm, yellow.
2.1-3.1 mm, connate at the base, membranous throughout, sparsely pubescent, not dilated below, keels not winged, ciliate, apices obtuse, pale green to pale yellow;
lemmas 1.9-2.7 mm, connate in the lower 1/2, glabrous, apices obtuse, awns 3-6.5 mm, geniculate, exceeding the lemmas by 1.6-4 mm;
anthers 0.3-1 mm, yellow or orange.
0.7-2 mm.
1-1.5 mm.
1-2 mm, truncate;
blades 4-22 cm long, 2.5-7 mm wide;
upper sheaths inflated.
2.8-4.5 mm, obtuse;
blades 3-15 cm long, 0.9-3 mm wide;
upper sheaths not or only slightly inflated.
= 98, 100, 105, 112, 117, 119, ca. 120.
= 14.
Alopecurus magellanicus
Alopecurus carolinianus
Alopecurus magellanicus has an arctic-alpine to subalpine circumpolar distribution, but it has not been found in Scandinavia or Iceland. It grows primarily in wet soils in tundra, meadows, along streams, shorelines, gravelbars, and floodplains, and occasionally in somewhat drier forest openings, in fine or silty to stony soils or moss. It is sometimes co-dominant with Dupontia fisheri in the arctic and subarctic portion of its range. The anthocyanic tint of the plant as a whole greatly increases to the north.
In the past, this species has been called Alopecurus alpinus, the name being attributed to Smith. Dogan (1999) pointed out that the name had first been used by Villars for a different species, which meant that this species had to have another name; Dogan used A. borealis Trin., listing A. magellanicus as a synonym but, because A. magellanicus was published first, it has priority and is therefore the correct name.
The morphological variability in Alopecurus magellanicus has prompted recognition of several segregate taxa, A. stejnegeri Vasey and A. occidentalis Scribn. & Tweedy being two of the more conspicuous extremes. The former are small plants occurring on enriched sites in the arctic, usually around seabird or seal colonies where high nutrient levels produce lush vegetative growth; the latter refers to tall-stemmed plants found in the Rocky Mountains. Because such plants are simply extremes in a continuum of variation, they do not merit taxonomic recognition.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Alopecurus carolinianus is native to the central plains, Mississippi valley, and southeastern United States, where it is common in wet meadows, ditches, wetland edges, and other moist, open habitats; it is occasionally a weed of rice fields. At the northern limit of its range it is clearly adventive, growing in gardens and nurseries. It also occurs in arid areas of the prairies and southwest, growing sporadically along sloughs and in ditches and vernal pools. Whether such populations are native or naturalized is not clear.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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