Spartina cynosuroides

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes elongated; scaly. Culms erect; 200–350 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1–3 mm long. Leaf-blades 8–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes few, or numerous; 5–67; borne along a central axis; spreading; unilateral; 6–15 cm long; bearing 10–70 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 15–40 cm long. Rhachis angular; smooth on margins, or scabrous on margins; glabrous on margins; terminating in a spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; regular; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets pectinate; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 9–14 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets. Lower glume linear; 3–7 mm long; 0.25–0.33 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein ciliolate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 9–10 mm long; 1.3 length of adjacent fertile lemma; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliolate. Upper glume lateral veins prominent. Upper glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 7–11 mm long; herbaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliolate. Lemma surface glabrous, or puberulous; hairy all along, or above. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 2 -veined.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 4–6 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION North America: western Canada, northeast USA, south-central USA, and southeast USA.

NOTES Cynodonteae. Mobberley 1993.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.