Anthoxanthum arcticum
Anthoxanthum monticola
arctic sweetgrass, hierochloe pauciflore
alpine sweet grass, hierochloé alpine
5-26(35) cm.
20-55(75) cm.
glabrous;
ligules 0.4-1.3 mm, obtuse;
blades 2-25 cm long, 0.7-2 mm in diameter when rolled, involute to convolute, abaxial surfaces glabrous, adaxial surfaces pubescent.
1-3(4.5) cm long, 0.3-0.5 cm wide, spikelike, with 1-2 spikelets per branch.
1-8.5 cm long, 1.2-2 cm wide, with (3)10-20(35) spikelets.
3.5-5 mm, green to purple;
rachilla internodes about 0.1 mm, glabrous.
5-8 mm, tawny;
rachilla internodes about 0.1 mm, glabrous.
subequal, 2.9-4.7 mm, shiny;
lowest 2 florets staminate;
lemmas sparsely hairy, acute or slightly notched, unawned or awned, awns to 1 mm;
bisexual lemmas 2.9-4.4 mm, with sparse, spreading hairs towards the apices;
anthers 1.5-3 mm.
subequal, 4.8-6.7 mm, about equal to the lemmas;
lowest 2 florets staminate;
lemmas 4-6.5(8) mm, moderately hairy, hairs to 1 mm, apices deeply bifid, first lemma awn 0.6-4(6.5) mm, second lemma awn 4.5-10.5 mm, usually geniculate, arising from near the base to near midlength;
bisexual lemmas 3.5-5.2 mm, pubescent towards the bifid apices;
anthers 1.5-2.7 mm.
about 2.5 mm.
sheaths glabrous, brown to deep purple;
ligules 0.2-1.5 mm, truncate, ciliate;
blades 1-12 cm long, (0.7) 1-3(5) mm wide, flat or folded, abaxial surfaces glabrous and shiny, adaxial surfaces sparsely scabrous or pilose.
= 28.
= 56, 58, 63, 66, 72.
Anthoxanthum arcticum
Anthoxanthum monticola
Anthoxanthum arcticum is a coastal and lowland circumpolar species of the Alaskan, Canadian, and Russian arctic; it is absent from Greenland. It generally grows in wet tundra on acidic, peaty soils. In the warmest sectors of the western high arctic, it is rooted in mats of moss that are growing over carbonate substrates.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Anthoxanthum monticola is circumpolar, usually growing above or north of the tree line, occasionally in open forests. It occurs sporadically on well-drained, weakly acidic to neutral sand, gravel, and rocky barrens in most of arctic North America; it is not common to the south, even at high elevations. It is facultatively apomictic, but slow to set seed. Revegetation is best accomplished vegetatively. It is listed as threatened or endangered in several parts of its range. There are two subspecies in the Flora region.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Awns of the upper staminate florets 5-10.5 mm long, attached from near the base to about midlength; awn usually strongly geniculate, the lower portion usually twisted, with 2-4 gyres | subsp. alpinum |
1. Awns of the upper staminate florets 4.5-7 mm long, attached at or above midlength, not or only weakly geniculate, the lower portion not twisted or twisted with 1-2 gyres | subsp. monticola |
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