Flora of North America species comparison

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Polycnemum arvense

Polycnemum majus

crunch weed, field needleleaf, soft needleleaf

giant needle-leaf
Stems

procumbent or erect, branches spirally twisted, to 10 (–50) cm, glabrous to densely pubescent.

procumbent to erect, branches not twisted, 10–30 cm, glabrous.
Leaves

green, 3–8(–12) × 1 mm, base somewhat clasping, hyaline, not bristly, apex softly spine-tipped.

green to bluish green, (3–)10–25(–20) × 0.5–1 mm, base hyaline, sometimes with sparsely bristled margins, apex stiffly spine-tipped.
Bracts

distalmost at least 3 times perianth length.

± 3 times perianth length.
Seeds

1–1.5 mm.

1.5–2 mm.
Bracteoles

ca. equaling perianth length.

1–2 times perianth length.
2n

= 18.

= 54.

Polycnemum arvense

Polycnemum majus
Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering mid summer.
Habitat Sandy soils Dry places, such as bare limestone flats
Elevation 0-200 m (0-700 ft) 100-300 m (300-1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
BC; c Europe; s Europe to e Russia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
IL; NY; ON; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Once considered weedy, this species has been collected rarely in recent years.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Reports of this species are increasingly rare, perhaps due to loss of habitat.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 262. FNA vol. 4, p. 262.
Parent taxa Chenopodiaceae > Polycnemum Chenopodiaceae > Polycnemum
Sibling taxa
P. majus
P. arvense
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 35. (1753) A. Braun ex Bogenhard: Flora 24: 151. (1841)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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