Dichanthelium boreale
Dichanthelium laxiflorum
northern panicgrass, northern rosette-panicgrass, panic boreal
openflower rosette grass, soft-tuft panicgrass
18-75 cm, usually more than 1 mm thick, occasionally delicate, erect or ascending;
nodes glabrous;
internodes glabrous;
fall phase with decumbent culms, branches arising from the lower and midculm nodes, rebranching 2-3 times, with small blades and secondary panicles compared to those on the culms, secondary panicles with 8-10 spikelets, partially included at maturity.
15-55 cm, slender, erect or radiating from a large tuft of predominantly basal leaves, lower internodes short, upper 3-5 internodes elongate;
nodes bearded with soft, spreading or retrorse hairs;
internodes glabrous;
fall phase branching extensively from the basal nodes, forming a dense cushion that overwinters.
3-5;
sheaths shorter than the internodes, lower sheaths pubescent, upper sheaths glabrous, margins of all sheaths sparsely ciliate;
ligules about 0.5 mm, of hairs;
blades 5-11 cm long, 5-13 mm wide, thin, spreading to erect, usually glabrous, rarely pubescent abaxially, always glabrous adaxially, bases truncate to cordate, ciliate on the margins, blades of the flag leaves erect or ascending.
2-4;
sheaths usually longer than the internodes, pilose, hairs to 4 mm, retrorse or spreading;
ligules 0.2-1 mm, at low magnification appearing to be membranous and ciliate, at high magnification evidently of hairs that are coherent at the base;
blades 4-17 cm long, 4-12 mm wide, lanceolate, at least 3/4 as long as the basal blades, spreading to suberect, thin, soft, lax, yellowish-green, nearly glabrous or densely pilose on 1 or both surfaces, margins usually finely short-ciliate, at least on the basal 1/2, cilia not papillose-based.
2-2.2 mm long, 0.8-1.3 mm wide, ellipsoid, usually reddish, shortly pubescent, subacute.
1.7-2.3 mm long, 1-1.2 mm wide, broadly ovate or oblong-obovoid, with papillose-based hairs, obtuse.
0.5-1 mm, triangular-ovate;
lower florets sterile;
upper florets slightly exceeding the upper glumes and lower lemmas, subacute.
1/4 - 1/3 as long as the spikelets, broadly deltoid;
upper glumes and lower lemmas subequal, usually fully covering the upper florets;
upper florets 1.5-1.8 mm long, 1-1.2 mm wide, broadly ellipsoid or obovoid, minutely umbonate.
rosettes well-differentiated;
blades 2-4 cm, pubescent, reddish.
rosettes poorly differentiated;
blades ovate to lanceolate.
panicles 5-11 cm long, 3-8 cm wide, ovoid, long-exserted, with 40-220 spikelets.
panicles 4-12 cm long, 3-8 cm wide, well-exserted;
secondary panicles more compact, usually not exserted above the crowded basal leaves;
rachises and branches wiry, spreading or deflexed, often pilose.
= 18.
= 18.
Dichanthelium boreale
Dichanthelium laxiflorum
Dichanthelium boreale grows in open woodlands and thickets, wet meadows, and fields. It is restricted to the Flora region. The primary panicles are mostly open-pollinated and are produced in May and June; the secondary panicles are predominantly cleistogamous and are produced from mid-June into October.
Dichanthelium boreale occasionally hybridizes with D. acuminatum and D. xanthophysum, producing a sterile triploid sometimes called Panicum calliphyllum Ashe.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Dichanthelium laxiflorum is a widespread, common species that grows in mesic deciduous woods, and occasionally in drier, more open woodlands. Its range extends south from the Flora region into Mexico. The density of the pubescence on the blade surfaces varies greatly.
The primary (spring) panicles are apparently chasmogamous; the secondary panicles are largely cleistogamous and are produced from late spring to winter.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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