Piptatherum pungens

(Torr.) Dorn
Common names: Sharp piptatherum
Synonyms: Oryzopsis pungens
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 146.

Plants cespitose, not rhizomatous. Culms 10-90 cm, usually glabrous, occasionally puberulent beneath the nodes; basal branching intravaginal. Leaves basally concentrated; sheaths smooth or somewhat scabrous; ligules 0.5-2.5 mm, truncate to acute; blades (6) 18-45 cm long, 0.5-1.8 mm wide, flat to convolute, abaxial surfaces scabridulous to scabrous, adaxial surfaces scabrous. Panicles 4-6 cm, lower nodes with 1-2 primary branches; branches 0.8-4 cm, straight, usually strongly ascending, ascending to divergent at anthesis. Glumes subequal, 3.5-4.5 mm long, 1.4-2 mm wide, from 1 mm shorter than to slightly exceeding the florets, ovate, usually 1-veined, sometimes 3-5-veined near the base, apices rounded or acute; florets 3-4 mm, dorsally compressed; calluses 0.2-0.3 mm, rounded, hairy, disarticulation scars circular; lemmas evenly pubescent, margins not overlapping at maturity; awns 1-2 mm, straight, slightly twisted, caducous, often absent even from immature florets; paleas equaling or almost equaling the lemma lobes, similar in texture and pubescence to the lemmas; anthers 0.8-1.8 mm, usually not penicillate; ovaries with a conelike extension bearing a 2-branched style. Caryopses about 1.8 mm long, about 0.9 mm wide; hila linear, 9/10 as long as to equaling the caryopses. 2n = 22, 24.

Discussion

Piptatherum pungens grows in sandy to rocky soils and open habitats, from southern Yukon Territory across Canada to the Great Lakes region and eastern Pennsylvania, and, as a disjunct, in the western Great Plains and the southern Rocky Mountains. Its apparent absence from Idaho and Montana, and almost complete absence from Wyoming, is puzzling. The awns of P. pungens fall off so rapidly that it is sometimes mistaken for Milium or Agrostis, but the only perennial species of Milium in the Flora region has leaf blades 8-17 mm wide, and no species of Agrostis has such stiff lemmas and well-developed paleas. Its deciduous, shorter awns distinguish it from P. canadense.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number."prolonged" is not a number."parallel" is not a number.

... more about "Piptatherum pungens"
scabridulous +  and scabrous +
membranous +  and scarious +
penicillate +
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
awned +, bifid +, bilobed +  and entire +
not stiff +
hairy +  and glabrous +
acute +  and rounded +
Mary E. Barkworth +
(Torr.) Dorn +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (?) +
straight +
subterminal +  and eccentric +
2 times-geniculate scabrous +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
not branching +
extravaginal +
swelling +
18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br /> (45 cm450 mm <br />0.45 m <br />) +
not evident +
flat +  and convolute +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
ascending;ascending +
spikelike +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
well-developed +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br />) +
Sharp piptatherum +
perennial +  and annual +
intravaginal +  and basal +
puberulent +  and glabrous +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (90 cm900 mm <br />0.9 m <br />) +
not woody +
Md. +, N.J. +, Utah +, Calif. +, Pa. +, Ariz. +, Idaho +  and Nev. +
0 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
compressed +
3-5-veined +  and 1-veined +
3.5mm +  and 4.5mm +
subtending +
subequal +
membranous +
1.4mm +  and 2mm +
not spreading +
uncinate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (?) +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
solid +  and hollow +
basally concentrated +  and evenly distributed +
light-brown +  and black +
ovate +, rectangular +  and lanceolate +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
membranous +  and coriaceous +
truncate +  and acute +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
fleshy +  and membranous +
not overlapping +
concealed +  and prominent +
1 +  and 6 +
2 +  and 1 +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
well-developed +
2(3)-veined +
not keeled +
reduced +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
not prolonged +
1 +  and 60 +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
laterally compressed +  and terete +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.75 cm7.5 mm <br />0.0075 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Oryzopsis pungens +
Piptatherum pungens +
Piptatherum +
species +
membranous +
plant +  and cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +