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Published In: Bulletin of the California Academy of Sciences 2(7C): 415. 1887. (Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci.) Name publication detailView in Biodiversity Heritage Library
 

Project Name Data (Last Modified On 7/9/2009)
Acceptance : Accepted
Project Data     (Last Modified On 7/9/2009)
Status: Native

 

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1. Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene (salt grass)

Pl. 145 e–g; Map 586

Plants perennial, dioecious, with hard, white, scaly rhizomes, forming colonies. Flowering stems 8–45 cm long, those of pistillate plants usually somewhat shorter than those of staminate plants, erect from usually spreading bases, glabrous. Leaves relatively numerous, strongly 2‑ranked on opposite sides of the stem, the lowermost often reduced to bladeless sheaths. Leaf sheaths glabrous or hairy toward the tip, the ligule a short membrane 0.2–0.5 mm long, this minutely hairy along the margin and usually associated with sparse, longer hairs at the ligule base. Leaf blades 2–12 cm long, 2–4 mm wide, with loosely inrolled margins, glabrous or roughened to hairy on the upper surface, narrowed to slender, sharply pointed tips. Inflorescences dense, narrow panicles 2–8 cm long. Spikelets 8–20 mm long, strongly flattened laterally, the staminate spikelets with 8–18 fertile florets, usually not disarticulating, the pistillate spikelets with 4–12 florets, disarticulating above the glumes, both types similar in morphology, but the pistillate spikelets with slightly longer glumes, lemmas, and paleas. Lower glume 1.7–5.0 mm long, lanceolate, sharply pointed at the tip, 5‑ or 7‑nerved (but the lateral nerves faint), slightly keeled, glabrous. Upper glume 2.4–6.5 mm long, lanceolate, sharply pointed at the tip, 5‑ or 7‑nerved (but the lateral nerves faint), slightly keeled, glabrous. Lemmas 3.5–7.5 mm long, sharply pointed at the tip, 7–11‑nerved (but the lateral nerves faint), awnless, rounded on the back or slightly keeled, thickened and somewhat leathery, glabrous (including the base). Paleas about as long as the lemmas, the 2 strong nerves winged. Stamens of staminate spikelets 3, the anthers 2–4 mm long. Fruits 1.8–3.0 mm long, ovate in outline, brown. 2n=40. June–October.

Uncommon, sporadic in counties adjacent to the Missouri River (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, Caribbean Islands). Saline marshes and seeps; also railroads and saline, disturbed areas.

Species of Distichlis are adapted to life in moist, saline soils, where few other plant species can grow. The plants are relatively unpalatable to livestock, but the fruits (not produced often in some populations) presumably provide food for waterfowl. Beetle (1943) divided D. spicata into a series of seven varieties, most of which are no longer accepted. However, his decision to treat the former D. stricta as a variety of D. spicata has gained acceptance in much of the recent literature (Sutherland, 1986; Gleason and Cronquist, 1991). These two taxa are virtually indistinguishable when only vegetative material is present, except that in var. spicata the tips of the leaf sheaths tend to be somewhat more hairy and the tips of the leaf blades tend to be slightly blunted. These differences are not readily interpretable unless both varieties are available for comparison in the herbarium. The key and descriptions below are adapted from those in Gleason and Cronquist (1991).

 

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1 1. Inflorescences very dense, the inflorescence branches and spikelet stalks mostly not readily visible; spikelets mostly 8–12 mm long; staminate spikelets with 8–12 florets; pistillate spikelets with 4–9 florets...1A. VAR. SPICATA

Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene var. spicata
2 1. Inflorescences moderately dense, the branches and spikelet stalks easily visible; spikelets mostly 12–20 mm long; staminate spikelets with 10–18 florets; pistillate spikelets with 7–12 florets...1B. VAR. STRICTA Distichlis spicata var. stricta
 


 

 
 
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