Glyceria declinata

Breb.
Common names: Low glyceria
Introduced
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 87.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Plants usually perennial, rarely annual. Culms (10) 20-92 cm tall, 1.5-2.5 mm thick, ascending to erect from a decumbent, branching base. Sheaths glabrous, keeled; ligules 4-9 mm; blades (2) 3-12 cm long, 4-8 mm wide, adaxial surfaces not papillose, apices abruptly acute. Panicles 6-30 cm long, 1-2.5 cm wide; branches 1.5-9.5 cm, ascending, with 1-5 spikelets; pedicels 1-2.5 mm. Spikelets 11-24 mm long, 1.3-3 mm wide, cylindrical and terete, except slightly laterally compressed at anthesis, rectangular in side view, with 8-15 florets. Glumes oval; lower glumes 1.4-3.5 mm; upper glumes 2.5-4.9 mm; rachilla internodes 1.2-1.8 mm; lemmas (3.5) 4-6 mm, 7-veined, veins and intercostal regions scabridulous, prickles about 0.05 mm, midveins extending to within 0.1 mm of the apical margins, apices acute, with a well-developed lobe on one or both sides opposite the lateral-veins, entire to crenulate between the lateral lobes; paleas exceeding the lemmas by 0.2-1 (1.5) mm, keels winged, apices bifid, teeth 0.3-0.5 mm; anthers 0.5-1.4 mm, usually purple. Caryopses 1.8-2.5 mm. 2n = 20.

Distribution

Tex., La., B.C., N.C., N.Y., Nev.

Discussion

Glyceria declinata is a European species that is established on the western seaboard of North America from southern British Columbia to southern California, and in northeastern Nevada, Arizona, the lower portion of the Mississippi valley, and on Long Island, New York. In Europe, it grows in low-calcium, acidic soils and tolerates drier conditions than other European species of Glyceria (Conert 1992). In Denmark, it tends to grow in areas that are highly trampled (Niels Jacobsen and Signe Frederiksen, pers. comm.). It is invading vernal pools in California.

In western North America, G. declinata has been confused with G. xoccidentalis. The most reliable distinguishing characteristics are the lateral lemma lobes of G. declinata and its rather short, straight panicle branches. The two species also differ in their ploidy level, G. declinata being diploid and G. xoccidentalis tetraploid (Church 1949). This is reflected in the length of their guard cells, those of G. declinata being 0.2-0.3 um and those of G. xoccidentalis being 0.4-0.5 um.

S.F. Hrusa found plants (Hrusa 13681, 15858, 16267; specimens in CDA) that have an annual growth habit. Apart from this, they fit within the circumscrip¬tion of G. declinata, except that two of the three specimens have narrower (2-3 mm) leaves than normal; they were also collected relatively early in the season. For now, it seems best to include the plants in G. declinata pending a better understanding of their relationship to perennial members of the species.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Glyceria declinata"
membranous +  and scarious +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br />) +
entire +  and crenulate +
Mary E. Barkworth +  and Laurel K. Anderton +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
basal +  and apical +
keeled +  and rounded +
persistent +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
folded +  and flat +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (9.5 cm95 mm <br />0.095 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
Low glyceria +
not cormous +  and rooting +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (92 cm920 mm <br />0.92 m <br />) +
ascending +  and erect +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (250 cm2,500 mm <br />2.5 m <br />) +
not woody +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
Tex. +, La. +, B.C. +, N.C. +, N.Y. +  and Nev. +
0 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
sometimes longer +
8 +  and 15 +
compressed +
reduced +
shorter than to longer than the adjacent lemmas +
subtending +
much smaller +
scarious +  and membranous +
5-11-veined +
uncinate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
hairy +, glabrous +, scabrous +  and smooth +
rounded +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
membranous +  and thinly coriaceous +
lacerate +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
well-developed +
reduced +
6cm +  and 30cm +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
Introduced +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br />) +
rectangular +, terete +  and cylindrical +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
1.3mm +  and 3mm +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Glyceria declinata +
Glyceria sect. Glyceria +
species +
notched +, rounded +  and truncate +
membranous +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.49 cm4.9 mm <br />0.0049 m <br />) +
prominent +  and evident +
scabridulous +
annual +  and perennial +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +