''Puccinellia macra'' is a perennial grass which grows on the coasts of south-eastern Canada. Its specific epithet "''macra''" means large, referring to its tall stature.
Description
''Puccinellia macra'' is cespitose and grows tall. It has cauline leaves with thin, flat blades wide and long, with upper leaves typically longer than lower leaves. Its basal sheaths are somewhat purple. Its linear to cylindrical
panicle
A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is ...
is long, with appressed and very scabrous floral branches. Its purplish
spikelet
A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots.
Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikelet tha ...
s are long and bear four to six flowers. The first
glume
In botany, a glume is a bract (leaf-like structure) below a spikelet in the inflorescence (flower cluster) of grasses (Poaceae) or the flowers of sedges (Cyperaceae). There are two other types of bracts in the spikelets of grasses: the lemma ...
is long, hyaline, acute, and has one nerve,
and its second glume is long, narrowly ovate, obtuse, and has three nerves. The oblanceolate
palea is long and ciliate on its nerves, with lower cilia longer. The grass flowers in August.
''P. macra'' is somewhat unique morphologically in its genus, resembling ''
Puccinellia nutkaensis
''Puccinellia nutkaensis'' is a species of grass known by the common names Nootka alkaligrass and Alaska alkali grass. It is native to North America from Alaska across northern Canada to Greenland and Nova Scotia, and down to Washington to ...
'' but differing in its softer and more pubescent lemmas.
Habitat and distribution
''Puccinellia macra'' grows on sea cliffs and in coastal sands in eastern
Gaspé County in Quebec.
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References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q97355438
macra
Macra is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin and about northwest of Cuneo.
Macra borders the following municipalities: Celle di Macra, Marmora, Sampeyre, San Dam ...
Plants described in 1916