Puccinellia groenlandica

T.J. Sørensen
Common names: Greenland alkali grass
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 467.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Plants perennial; cespitose, not mat-forming. Culms 50-65 cm, erect to decumbent. Ligules 2.5-3.3 mm, obtuse to truncate, entire; blades 1.8-3.2 mm wide, flat. Panicles 15-30 cm, diffuse at maturity, lower branches ascending to horizontal, spikelets usually confined to the distal 2/3; pedicels uniformly scabrous, lacking tumid epidermal cells. Spikelets 7-10 mm, with 4-7 florets. Glumes rounded over the back, veins obscure, apices acute to obtuse; lower glumes 1.8-2.5 mm, up to approximately 1/2 as long as the adjacent lemmas; upper glumes 2.5-3 mm; rachilla internodes slightly and gradually broadened to the point of attachment with the lemmas, at least the lowest internodes usually more than 0.09 mm thick; calluses with a few hairs; lemmas 3-4.4 mm, mostly herbaceous, hairy on the proximal 1/2, principally along the veins, backs rounded or keeled distally, 5-veined, veins obscure, not extending to the margins, apical margins hyaline, uniformly scabrous, apices obtuse to acute, entire; palea veins with curly, intertwined hairs proximally, scabrous distally; anthers 1.1-1.5 mm. 2n = 56.

Discussion

Puccinellia groenlandica grows in littoral and nonlittoral environments. It is endemic to Greenland.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.