Corynephorus canescens

(L.) P. Beauv.
Common names: Gray hairgrass
Introduced
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 24. Treatment on page 743.

Plants perennial; cespitose, glaucous, with many sterile shoots. Culms 10-60 cm, glabrous, often geniculate; nodes dark-brown to blackish. Leaves basally crowded, glabrous; sheaths to 8 cm, often purplish, scabridulous; ligules 2-4 mm, acute; blades to 10 cm long and 1 mm wide, rigid, involute, scabrous. Panicles 1.5-14 cm long, 0.4-3 cm wide, dense, purple or variegated with pale green; branches to 5 cm, spreading at anthesis, otherwise appressed; pedicels 1-3 mm. Spikelets 2.9-4.3 mm. Glumes often purplish, slightly to strongly scabridulous, particularly on the keels; callus hairs 0.2-0.4 mm; lemmas 1.4-2 mm, awns 2.3-2.7 mm, usually not exceeding the glumes, segments subequal, distal segments sometimes slightly exserted; anthers 1.4-1.6 mm, purple. 2n = 14.

Distribution

Maine, N.H., N.J., Mass., Wash., B.C., Mich., N.Y., Pa., Conn.

Discussion

Corynephorus canescens is native to Europe. It grows on coastal sand dunes and inland on sandy soils, as well as in disturbed areas such as waste ground and ballast dumps. It has been recorded from scattered locations in North America, but its current status in these locations is not known. Douglas et al. (1994) reported that it no longer occurred in British Columbia, but it was later found near the original collection site (UBC 209521, homer 94-256).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Corynephorus canescens"
membranous +  and scarious +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br />) +
John W. Thieretf +
(L.) P. Beauv. +
articulated +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
straight +
basal +  and terminal +
geniculate +
0.23 cm2.3 mm <br />0.0023 m <br /> (0.27 cm2.7 mm <br />0.0027 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
not evident +
involute +  and flat +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
spikelike +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br />) +
Gray hairgrass +
not branching +
geniculate +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
not woody +
Maine +, N.H. +, N.J. +, Mass. +, Wash. +, B.C. +, Mich. +, N.Y. +, Pa. +  and Conn. +
1/4 +  and 1/3 +
liquid +, soft +  and hard +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
compressed +
reduced +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
scabridulous +
acute +  and lanceolate +
subequal +
membranous +
uncinate +
acute +  and ovatelanceolate +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
membranous +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
dark-brown +  and blackish +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
well-developed +
2-keeled +
membranous +
variegated with pale green +
1.5cm +  and 14cm +
spikelike +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
scabridulous +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
Introduced +
1 +  and 60 +
compressed +
0.29 cm2.9 mm <br />0.0029 m <br /> (0.43 cm4.3 mm <br />0.0043 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
simple +  and compound +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Corynephorus canescens +
Corynephorus +
species +
membranous +
parallel +  and converging +
stoloniferous +  and rhizomatous +
plant +  and cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +