Part 7 - UNC Herbarium

POACEAE 919
5 Spikelets 9-13 mm long; second glume acuminate; spikes 1-4 per inflorescence; second highest leaf blade on the
stem (0.5-) avg. 1 (-2) dm long; plants to 8 dm tall; culms to 3 mm in diameter at base ...........S. patens var. patens
Spartina alterniflora Loiseleur, Saltmarsh Cordgrass, Smooth Cordgrass. Cp (GA, NC, SC, VA): salt marshes; common.
August-October. Newfoundland south to FL, west to TX; e. South America; introduced in n. Europe. S. alterniflora is the
dominant plant (often essentially a monoculture) of intratidal salt marshes in our area. [= RAB, C, FNA, GW, K; > S.
alterniflora var. alterniflora – F, G, HC, S; > S. alterniflora var. glabra (Muhlenberg ex Bigelow) Fernald – F, G, HC, S; > S.
alterniflora var. pilosa (Merrill) Fernald – F, G, HC]
Spartina bakeri Merrill, Sand Cordgrass. Cp (GA, SC): brackish marshes, marsh edges, wet coastal hammocks, under
Sabal palmetto, Quercus virginiana, and Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola; rare. June. Se. SC south to s. FL, west to
panhandle FL. Distinctive among our species in its densely clumped growth form. [= FNA, GW, HC, K, S]
Spartina cynosuroides (Linnaeus) Roth, Giant Cordgrass. Cp (GA, NC, SC, VA): brackish and freshwater tidal marshes,
especially along margins of tidal creeks; common. June-September. MA south to FL, west to e. TX. [= RAB, C, FNA, G, GW,
HC, K, S; > S. cynosuroides var. cynosuroides – F]
Spartina patens (Aiton) Muhlenberg var. monogyna (M.A. Curtis) Fernald, Large Saltmeadow Cordgrass. Cp (GA, NC,
SC, VA): sandy shores, overwash flats; common. June-September. MA south to FL, west to TX. Whether var. monogyna is
worthy of recognition is a matter of debate; there appear to morphological differences correlated with geography and, according
to some authors, habitat, but positive identification to variety is sometimes difficult. [= F, G, HC; < S. patens – RAB, C, FNA,
GW, K, S]
Spartina patens (Aiton) Muhlenberg var. patens, Small Saltmeadow Cordgrass, Salt Hay, Marsh-hay Cordgrass. Cp (NC,
VA): dunes, sand flats, upper edges of marshes, maritime wet grasslands; common. June-September. Newfoundland south to
NC, and perhaps further. [= F, G, HC; < S. patens – RAB, C, FNA, GW, K, S]
Spartina pectinata Link, Prairie Cordgrass, Slough Grass. Mt, Cp (NC, VA): spray cliffs below waterfalls, rocky or sandy
flood-scoured riverside grasslands, tidal freshwater (oligohaline) marshes, calcareous oak flatwoods and prairies; rare (GA Rare,
NC Rare, VA Rare). July-September. Newfoundland west to WA, south to ne. NC, sw. NC, AR, TX, and NM. [= RAB, C, F,
FNA, G, GW, HC, K, W; > S. pectinata var. pectinata – F; > S. pectinata var. suttiei (Farwell) Fernald – F; = S. michauxiana
A.S. Hitchcock – S]
Spartina spartinae (Trinius) Merr. ex A.S. Hitchcock, Gulf Cordgrass. Brackish marshes and inland saline situations. AL
and FL west to TX. [= FNA, GW, HC, K, S] {not keyed at this time}
Sphenopholis Scribner (Wedgegrass)
A genus of 5 species, North American. References: Tucker (1996)=Z. Key based in part on C.
1 Spikelets 5-9.5 mm long; second lemma with an awn 3.5-7 mm long............................................................... S. pensylvanica
1 Spikelets 1.5-5 mm long; second lemma awnless, or with an awn up to 3.5 mm long.
2 Lower leaf blades mostly (10-) 15-45 cm long, involute, < 2 mm wide .......................................................... S. filiformis
2 Lower leaf blades mostly less han 10 cm long, flat, 2-8 mm wide.
3 First glume 1/3 to 2/3 as wide as the second glume; second glume strongly scabrous...................................S. nitida
3 First glume less tha 1/3 as wide as the second glume; second glume smooth to slightly scabrous.
4 First lemma with an awn up to 3.5 mm long ..................................................................................... S. ×pallens
4 First lemma unawned.
5 Panicle open; second glume 3-6× as long as wide, acute at the tip; lowermost rachilla internode 0.8-1.0
mm long .................................................................................................................................S. intermedia
5 Panicle densely cylindrical; second glume 2-3× as long as wide, rounded or truncate at the tip;
lowermost rachilla internode 0.5-0.7 mm long.......................................................................... S. obtusata
Sphenopholis filiformis (Chapman) Scribner. Cp (GA, NC, SC, VA), Pd (GA, NC, SC): pine savannas, sandy woodlands;
uncommon (VA Rare). April-May. Se. VA south to c. FL, west to e. TX. [= RAB, C, F, K, S, Z]
Sphenopholis intermedia (Rydberg) Rydberg, Slender Wedgegrass. Mt, Pd, Cp (GA, NC, SC, VA): moist nutrient-rich
forests; rare. May-June. Newfoundland west to c. AK, south to panhandle FL, c. TX, and AZ. [= RAB, F, K, S; = S. obtusata
(Michaux) Scribner var. major (Torrey) K.S. Erdman – C, Z; < S. intermedia – G (also see S. ×pallens); < S. obtusata – GW, W]
Sphenopholis nitida (Biehler) Scribner. Cp, Pd, Mt (GA, NC, SC, VA): moist forests, bottomlands; common. April-May.
MA west to IL, south to FL and TX. [= RAB, C, F, K, W, S, Z; > S. nitida var. glabra (Nash) Scribner – G; > S. nitida var.
nitida – G]
Sphenopholis obtusata (Michaux) Scribner, Prairie Wedgegrass. Cp, Pd, Mt (GA, NC, SC, VA): forests, roadsides,
disturbed areas; common (uncommon in Mountains). April-May. ME west to MN and British Columbia, south to s. FL, TX, c.
Mexico, and s. CA. [= RAB, G, K, S; = S. obtusata var. obtusata – C, Z; > S. obtusata var. obtusata – F; > S. obtusata var.
pubescens (Lamson-Scribner & Merrill) Lamson-Scribner – F; < S. obtusata – GW, W (also see S. intermedia)]
Sphenopholis ×pallens (Biehler) Scribner (pro sp.) [S. obtusata × pensylvanica]. Cp (NC, SC, VA): ditches, wet forests;
rare. Not always with its parents. May. [= C, K; = S. pallens – RAB, F, S; < S. intermedia (Rydberg) Rydberg – G]