Part 7 - UNC Herbarium

POACEAE 915
Sacciolepis striata (Linnaeus) Nash, American Cupscale. Cp, Pd (GA, NC, SC, VA), Mt (GA, NC, SC): marshes,
interdune swales, ditches, swamps; common (rare in Piedmont and Mountains). July-October. S. NJ south to FL, west to e. TX
and OK, nearly limited to the Coastal Plain, but occasionally inland as in w. NC and TN; also native in the West Indies and n.
South America. [= RAB, C, F, FNA, G, GW, HC, K, W]
Schedonorus Palisot de Beauvois
The correct generic placement of the introduced species Schedonorus arundinaceus (= Festuca elatior; = Festuca arundinacea;
= Lolium arundinaceum) and Sch. pratense has been disputed. The traditional placement in Festuca has been defended by Aiken
et al. (1997); Darbyshire (1993) transferred them to Lolium; and Soreng & Terrell (1998) place them in the genus Schedonorus.
NOTE: apparently, the Soreng & Terrell (1998) paper was preceded by another paper which renders Soreng & Terrell's
combinations superfluous. References: Darbyshire (1993)=X; Aiken & Darbyshire (1990)=Y; Tucker (1996)=Z; Soreng &
Terrell (1998)=V; Darbyshire in FNA (in prep.). Key based in part on C and Y.
1 Auricles ciliate (sometimes only very sparsely so – check several at 10-20× magnification); spikelets with 3-6 (-9) florets;
old sheaths pale straw-colored, often remaining intact; internodes of the rachilla antrorsely scabrous ........Sch. arundinaceus
1 Auricles glabrous; spikelets with (2-) 4-10 (-12) florets; old sheaths brown, decaying to fibers; internodes of the rachilla
glabrous (smooth) or nearly so..............................................................................................................................Sch. pratensis
* Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreber) Dumortier, Tall Fescue, Alta Fescue. Cp, Pd, Mt (GA, NC, SC, VA): fields,
roadsides, pastures, disturbed areas; common, introduced from Eurasia. May-July. [= FNA, V; < Festuca elatior Linnaeus –
RAB, F, S, W, misapplied; = Festuca arundinacea Schreber – HC, Y; = Festuca elatior Linnaeus – C; = Festuca elatior var.
arundinacea (Schreber) Wimmer – G; < Festuca pratensis Hudson – GW; = Lolium arundinaceum (Schreber) Darbyshire – K,
X, Z; ? Schedonorus phoenix (Scopoli) Holub]
* Schedonorus pratensis (Hudson) Palisot de Beauvois, Meadow Fescue. Mt (VA): fields, roadsides, pastures, disturbed
areas; rare, introduced from Eurasia. May-July. [= FNA, V; < Festuca elatior Linnaeus – F, S, W, misapplied; = Festuca
pratensis Hudson – C, Y; = Festuca elatior var. pratensis (Hudson) A. Gray – G; < Festuca pratensis Hudson – GW; = Festuca
elatior – HC, misapplied; = Lolium pratense (Hudson) Darbyshire – K, X, Z ]
A monotypic genus, circumboreal in Asia and North America.
Schizachne Hackel (False Melic)
Schizachne purpurascens (Torrey) Swallen, Purple Oatgrass, False Melic. Mt (VA): moist, rocky northern hardwood and
spruce forests; rare (VA Rare). Newfoundland west to AK, south to MD, w. VA, WV, KY, IL, NM, and Mexico; also in ne.
Asia. May-July. [= F, G, HC, K; > S. purpurascens var. purpurascens – C]
Schizachyrium Nees (Little Bluestem)
A genus of about 60 species, widespread in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions of the World. References: Wipff
(1996a)=Z; Gandhi (1989)=Y; Wipff in FNA (2003a). Key based in part on Wipff in FNA (2003a).
1 Leaf blades 0.5-1.5 mm wide, with a lighter-colored zone in the center of the upper surface; sessile spikelet ca. 4 mm long ...
...............................................................................................................................................................................Sch. tenerum
1 Leaf blades >1.5 mm wide, lacking a distinct lighter zone on the upper surface; sessile spikelet 5-11 mm long.
2 First glume of sessile spikelet pubescent ......................................................................Sch. sanguineum var. hirtiflorum
2 First glume of sessile spikelet glabrous.
3 Plants rhizomatous, with internodes 6 mm long or longer; sessile spikelet 5-7 mm long ...........................................
.............................................................................................................................. Sch. scoparium var. stoloniferum
3 Plants tufted, rhizome internodes absent or < 3 mm long, the stem sometimes decumbent at the base and rooting at
the lower nodes (appearing nearly rhizomatous); sessile spikelet 6-10 mm long.
4 Leaf sheaths broad and strongly keeled, hairs of the raceme internodes ca. 5 mm long; stems decumbent at
base, rooting at the lower nodes ..................................................................................................... Sch. littorale
4 Leaf sheaths rounded or weakly keeled; hairs of the raceme internodes 1-3 (-4) mm long; stems erect, not
rooting at the lower nodes.
5 Pedicellate spikelets of the proximal spikelet units on each rame staminate, 5-10 mm long, with a
lemma, the pedicellate spikelets of the distal units usually smaller (1-4 mm long) and sterile; sheaths and
blades densely tomentose to glabrate .......................................................[Sch. scoparium var. divergens]
5 Most pedicellate spikelets sterile, 1-6 mm long, without a lemma; sheaths and blades usually glabrous,
occasionally pubescent..............................................................................Sch. scoparium var. scoparium