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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Spartina patens

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary, or caespitose. Rhizomes elongated; wiry. Culms erect; 100–150 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blades involute; 1–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 2–15; borne along a central axis; spreading; unilateral; 1–7 cm long; bearing 10–30 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 3–15 cm long. Rhachis angular; 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 linear, or lanceolate; laterally compressed; 7–12 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets. Lower glume linear; 3–8 mm long; 0.33 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein ciliolate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 7–12 mm long; 1.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein ciliate. Upper glume lateral veins prominent (on one side). Upper glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 6–10 mm long; herbaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma surface glabrous, or puberulous. Lemma margins eciliate, or ciliolate. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 2 -veined.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 3–5 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION North America: eastern Canada, northeast USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Caribbean and northern South America.

NOTES Cynodonteae. Mobberley 1993.

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