Puccinellia nuttalliana |
Puccinellia distans |
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Nuttall alkaligrass, Nuttall's alkali grass |
European alkali grass, puccinellie a fleurs distantes, spreading alkali grass, weeping alkaligrass |
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Habit | Plants perennial; cespitose, not mat-forming. | Plants perennial; cespitose, not mat-forming. |
Culms | 10-100 cm, usually erect. |
5-60 cm, erect to decumbent. |
Leaves | either concentrated at the base or distributed along the culms; ligules 1-3 mm, obtuse, usually entire, sometimes slightly erose; blades 1-4 mm wide, flat to involute. |
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Panicles | 5-30 cm, compact to diffuse at maturity, usually distinctly exserted from the sheaths, lower branches usually erect to diverging, occasionally descending, spikelet-bearing from the base or on the distal 2/3; pedicels scabrous, lacking tumid epidermal cells. |
2.5-20 cm, diffuse at maturity, lower branches horizontal to descending, spikelets usually confined to the distal 2/3, pedicels scabrous, lacking tumid epidermal cells. |
Spikelets | 3.5-9 mm, with 2-7 florets. |
2.5-7 mm, with 2-7 florets. |
Glumes | rounded over the back, veins obscure, apices acute to obtuse; lower glumes 0.5-1.5 mm, usually less than 1/2 as long as the adjacent lemmas; upper glumes 1-2.8 mm; rachilla internodes slightly and gradually broadened to the point of attachment with the lemmas; calluses with a few hairs; lemmas (2)2.2-3(3.5) mm, herbaceous, glabrous or sparsely hairy on the proximal 1/2, principally along the veins, backs rounded, 5-veined, veins obscure, not extending to the margins, smooth distally, lateral margins inrolled or not, apical margins uniformly and densely scabrous, apices acute to obtuse, entire; palea veins glabrous, short-ciliate, or with a few long hairs proximally, smooth or scabrous distally; anthers 0.6-2 mm. |
rounded over the back, veins obscure, apices acute to truncate; lower glumes 0.4-1.3 mm; upper glumes 0.9-1.8 mm; calluses with a few hairs; lemmas 1.5-2(2.2) mm, mostly herbaceous, glabrous or sparsely hairy on the lower 1/2, principally along the veins, backs rounded, 5-veined, veins obscure, not extending to the margins, apical margins hyaline and often yellowish, uniformly and densely scabrous, apices widely obtuse to truncate, entire; palea veins shortly ciliate proximally, glabrous, sometimes scabrous distally; anthers 0.4-0.8 mm. |
Ligules | 0.8-1.2 mm, obtuse to truncate, usually entire; blades 1-7 mm wide, flat to involute. |
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2n | = 28, 42, 56. |
= 14, 28, 42. |
Puccinellia nuttalliana |
Puccinellia distans |
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Distribution |
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; KS; ME; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; NY; OR; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland
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AK; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DE; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland
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Discussion | Puccinellia nuttalliana is a widespread and variable species, restricted to the Flora region. It grows principally in the interior, but is also found in coastal settings, where it is difficult to distinguish from P. nutkaensis. Northern, primarily boreal or southern arctic populations with relatively short lemmas and anthers (2-2.8 mm and 0.6-0.9 mm, respectively), and with a few long hairs on the lower palea veins, have sometimes been recognized as P. borealis Swallen. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Puccinellia distans is a Eurasian native, reportedly introduced in North America, where it is widespread, particularly as a weed in non-littoral environments, including the margins of salted roads. It is also found occasionally in coastal environments. A specimen in the Smithsonian Institution attributed to Puccinellia tenuiflora (Griseb.) Scribn. & Merr. by Scribner and Merrill (1910) is a robust example of P. distans; others of this taxon in North America remain to be investigated. Puccinellia hauptiana (Trin. ex V.I. Krecz.) Kitag. has been reduced to P. distans subsp. hauptiana (Trin. ex V.I. Krecz.) W.E. Hughes. This taxon may represent a tetraploid component of P. distans; several specimens identified as P. hauptiana in Eurasia have a tetraploid chromosome count. Specimens from Alaska, the Yukon, and Saskatchewan, identified as P. hauptiana on the basis of their relatively narrow leaves (1-2 mm wide) and small anthers (0.5-0.6 mm), appear to be native in these regions and require further study with regard to their relationship with P. distans. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 24, p. 475. | FNA vol. 24, p. 473. |
Parent taxa | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Puccinellia | Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Puccinellia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. rosenkrantzii, P. porsildii, P. interior, P. deschampsioides, P. cusickii, P. borealis, P. airoides | P. retroflexa, P. hauptiana |
Name authority | (Schult.) Hitchc. | (Jacq.) Pari |
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