Puccinellia in Flora of Pakistan @ efloras.org

Puccinellia Parl., Fl. Ital. 1:366. 1848. Sultan & Stewart, Grasses W. Pak. 2:209. 1959; Bor, Grasses Burma Ceyl. Ind. Pak. 562. 1960; Bor in Rech.f., Fl. Iran. 70:60. 1970; Tzvelev, Poaceae URSS 493. 1976; Hughes & Halliday in Tutin et al., Fl. Fur. 5:167. 1980; nom. Conserve.

Atropis Rupr. ex Griseb.

Annuals, biennials or perennials. Leaf-blades flat, folded or convolute. Inflorescence an open or contracted panicle. Spikelets (2-)3-10-flowered, slightly compressed; glumes unequal, 1-3-nerved, shorter than the lemmas, glabrous; lemmas rounded on the back, rarely keeled, often ciliolate to erose at the tip, sometimes ± acute or apiculate, 5-nerved, awnless; palea about as long as the lemma, 2-keeled; stamens 3; hilum sub-basal and punctiform.

A genus of about 120 species in north temperate regions and South Africa, many of them is saline habitats; 8 species occur in Pakistan.

The genus is badly in need of major revision. Many of our species are represented only by a handful of specimens (some only by the type) so their full range of variation cannot yet be established. As a consequence a number of specimens at Kew (including one misidentified by Bor as Puccinellia pamirica (Rozhev.) Krecz.) remain of doubtful affinity. They may represent undescribed species, but it is too early to be sure of this.

1 Lemma shortly hairy at the base; mid-nerve of the lemma not reaching the obtuse, broadly membranous tip (2)

+ Lemma entirely glabrous, sometimes minutely puberulous on the margins or faintly serrulate-ciliolate at the tip; mid-nerve of the lemma reaching the tip and sometimes very shortly excurrent (3)

2 (1) Anthers 0.5-1 mm long Puccinellia distans

+ Anthers 12-1.6 mm long Puccinellia gigantea

3 (1) Dwarf plant up to 5 cm tall; lemma 2.2-2.5 mm long; anthers 0.75-1 mm long Puccinellia minuta

+ Plants much taller, if less than 10 cm tall then either anthers shorter or lemmas longer (but not both at once) (4)

4 (3) Lemma obtuse or rounded at the tip (5)

+ Lemma acute at the tip (7)

5 (4) Lemma 3-3.5 mm long; anthers 2 mm long Puccinellia stapfiana

+ Lemma 1.5-2.1 mm long; anthers 0.5-1.5 mm long (6)

6 (5) Anthers 05-0.7 mm long Puccinellia himalaica

+ Anthers 0.9-1.5 mm long Puccinellia tenuiflora

7 (4) Anthers 0.6-1 mm long Puccinellia kashmiriana

+ Anthers 2-3 mm long Puccinellia thomsonii

Lower Taxa

Related Synonym(s):

Related Objects

Flora of China

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