Glyceria striata
Glyceria septentrionalis
fowl manna grass, glycerie striee, ridged glyceria, ridged manna grass
eastern manna grass, floating manna grass, glycerie septentrionale, northern glyceria, northern mannagrass
20-80 (100) cm tall, (1.5)2-3.5 mm thick, not or only slightly spongy, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes.
73-182 cm tall, to 8 mm thick, often decumbent and rooting from the lower nodes.
smooth to scabridulous, keeled, sometimes weakly so;
ligules 1-4 mm, usually rounded, sometimes acute to mucronate, erose-lacerate;
blades 12-30 cm long, 2-6 mm wide, abaxial surfaces smooth or scabridulous, adaxial surfaces scabridulous to scabrous.
smooth or scabridulous, keeled;
ligules 5-16 mm;
blades 18-32 cm long, 2-15 mm wide, abaxial surfaces scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabridulous, usually glabrous, midcauline leaves sometimes papillose.
6-25 cm long, 2.5-21 cm wide, pyramidal, open, nodding;
branches 5-13 cm, straight to lax, lower branches usually strongly divergent to drooping at maturity, sometimes ascending, with 15-50 spikelets, these often confined to the distal 2/3;
pedicels 0.5-7 mm.
15-60 cm long, 1-3.5 cm wide;
branches 3-17 cm, usually erect to strongly ascending, sometimes spreading at anthesis, usually straight, sometimes lax, with 1-9 spikelets;
pedicels 0.7-1.7 mm.
1.8-4 mm long, 1.2-2.9 mm wide, laterally compressed, oval in side view, with 3-7 florets.
(6.5)10-23 mm long, 1-3 mm wide, cylindrical and terete, except at anthesis when slightly laterally compressed, rectangular in side view, with 8-16 florets.
ovate, 1-1.5 times longer than wide, narrowing from midlength or above, veins terminating below the apical margins, apices often splitting with age;
lower glumes 0.5-1.2 mm, rounded to obtuse;
upper glumes 0.6-1.2 mm, acute or rounded;
rachilla internodes 0.1-0.6 mm;
lemmas 1.2-2 mm, ovate in dorsal view, veins raised, scabridulous over and between the veins, apices acute, prow-shaped;
paleas slightly shorter than to equaling the lemmas, lengths 1.5-3 times widths, keeled, keels not winged, tips pointing towards each other, apices narrowly notched between the keels;
anthers 2, (0.2)0.4-0.6 mm, purple or yellow.
elliptic to obovate, apices rounded to acute;
lower glumes (0.3)1.5-3.7 mm;
upper glumes (1.9)2.3-5.2 mm;
rachilla internodes 1.1-1.8 mm;
lemmas 2.4-4.8 mm, veins scabrous or hispidulous, intercostal regions scabridulous, scabrous, or hispidulous, midveins extending to within 0.1 mm of the apical margins, apices truncate to obtuse or acute, apical margins crenate to entire;
paleas from slightly shorter than to exceeding the lemmas, apices bifid, teeth to 0.2 mm;
anthers 3, 0.5-1.8 mm.
0.5-2 mm.
1.5-2 mm;
hila about as long as the caryopses.
= 20 [reports of 28 are questionable].
Glyceria striata
Glyceria septentrionalis
Glyceria striata grows in bogs, along lakes and streams, and in other wet places. Its range extends from Alaska to Newfoundland and south into Mexico. Plants from the eastern portion of the range have sometimes been treated as G. striata var. striata, and those from the west as G. striata var. stricta (Scribn.) Fernald. Eastern plants tend to have somewhat narrower leaves and thinner culms than western plants, but the variation appears continuous. In the west, larger specimens are easy to confuse with G. elata. The two species are sometimes found growing together without hybridizing; this and molecular data (Whipple et al. [in prep.]) support their recognition as separate species. The differences between the two in growth habit and stature are evident in the field; they are not always evident on herbarium specimens. In its overall aspect, G. striata also resembles G. pulchella, but it has somewhat more lax panicle branches in addition to smaller spikelets and florets.
Glyceria xgatineauensis Bowden is a sterile hybrid between G. striata and G. melicaria. It resembles G. melicaria but has longer (up to 12 cm), less appressed panicle branches and is a triploid with 2n = 30. It was described from a population near Eardley, Quebec. An additional specimen, tentatively identified as G. xgatineauensis, was collected in 1929 from French Creek in Upshur County, West Virginia.
Glyceria xottawensis Bowden is a sterile hybrid between G. striata and G. canadensis. It is intermediate between the two parents, and is known only from the original populations near Ottawa. It has sometimes been included in G. xlaxa (Scribn.) Scribn. [=G. canadensis var. laxa]; that taxon often produces viable seed, indicating that it is not a hybrid.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Glyceria septentrionalis is native and restricted to North America. It grows in shallow water or very wet soils, from southern Quebec to the east coast and south to eastern Texas and South Carolina. Voss (1972) stated that it is the floating leaves of G. septentrionalis that develop papillose, non-wettable adaxial surfaces. They seem to be developed less often than in G. borealis; whether this reflects a difference in habitat or growth habit is not known.
Glyceria septentrionalis resembles G. notata in its rather short, truncate to rounded lemmas, but it tends to have fewer spikelets on its branches. In addition, the veins of its leaf sheaths appear completely smooth, even under high magnification. That said, many specimens will be hard to identify if their provenance is not known.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Lemmas hispidulous over the veins, hairs about 0.1 mm long | var. arkansana |
1. Lemmas scabrous over the veins, prickles about 0.05 mm long | var. septentrionalis |
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