Puccinellia nuttalliana

(Schult.) Hitchc.
Common names: Nuttall's alkali grass
Synonyms: Puccinellia rosenkrantzii Puccinellia porsildii Puccinellia interior Puccinellia deschampsioides Puccinellia cusickii Puccinellia borealis Puccinellia airoides
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 475.
Please click on the illustration for a higher resolution version.
Illustrator: Cindy Roché

Copyright: Utah State University

Plants perennial; cespitose, not mat-forming. Culms 10-100 cm, usually erect. 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. 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. Spikelets 3.5-9 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. 2n = 28, 42, 56.

Distribution

Maine, Kans., N.Dak., S.Dak., Colo., N.Mex., Wash., N.Y., Utah, Alaska, Minn., Nebr., Wis., Idaho, Mont., Vt., Wyo., Alta., B.C., Greenland, Man., N.W.T., Nunavut, Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon, Ariz., Calif., Nev., Oreg.

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.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Puccinellia nuttalliana"
56 +, 42 +  and 28 +
membranous +  and scarious +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
acute +  and obtuse +
Jerrold I. Davis +
(Schult.) Hitchc. +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
straight +
basal +  and terminal +
rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
not evident +
flat +  and involute +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
usually erect;diverging +
spikelike +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
Nuttall's alkali grass +
not branching +
distributed +
geniculate +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
not woody +
Maine +, Kans. +, N.Dak. +, S.Dak. +, Colo. +, N.Mex. +, Wash. +, N.Y. +, Utah +, Alaska +, Minn. +, Nebr. +, Wis. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Vt. +, Wyo. +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Greenland +, Man. +, N.W.T. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Yukon +, Ariz. +, Calif. +, Nev. +  and Oreg. +
1/4 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
2 +  and 7 +
sterile +  and bisexual +
compressed +
reduced +
usually distinctly shorter +
subtending +
rounded +
subequal +  and unequal +
membranous +
uncinate +
less +  and 1/3 +
(3)5(7)-veined +
hairy +  and glabrous +
keeled +  and rounded +
0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
membranous +  and slightly or distinctly coriaceous +
erose +  and entire +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
lanceolate +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
well-developed +
2-keeled +
subequal +
membranous +  and scarious +
spikelike +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
usually erect +  and diverging +
1 +  and 60 +
subterete +  and weakly laterally compressed +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Puccinellia rosenkrantzii +, Puccinellia porsildii +, Puccinellia interior +, Puccinellia deschampsioides +, Puccinellia cusickii +, Puccinellia borealis +  and Puccinellia airoides +
Puccinellia nuttalliana +
Puccinellia +
species +
membranous +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br />) +
plant +, not mat-forming +  and cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +