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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Spartina pectinata
HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes elongated; scaly. Culms erect; 100–250 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1–3 mm long. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 5–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes few, or numerous; 5–50; borne along a central axis; appressed, or ascending; unilateral; 1.5–15 cm long; bearing 10–80 fertile spikelets on each. Central inflorescence axis 10–50 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; 8–17 mm long; falling entire.
GLUMES Glumes dissimilar; exceeding apex of florets. Lower glume linear; 5–10 mm long; 0.33 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein ciliate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Lower glume apex acute; awned. Upper glume lanceolate; 8–17 mm long; 1.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; herbaceous; 1-keeled; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume primary vein pectinately ciliate. Upper glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 4–8 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 6–12 mm long; herbaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma midvein pectinately ciliate; hairy above. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex dentate; 2 -fid. Palea 2 -veined.
FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 3; 4–6 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION North America: Subarctic, western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest 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.
