Dichanthelium boreale

(Nash) Freckmann
Common names: Northern panicgrass Panic boreal
Endemic
Synonyms: Panicum boreale var. michiganense Panicum boreale
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 25. Treatment on page 434.

Plants cespitose. Basal rosettes well-differentiated; blades 2-4 cm, pubescent, reddish. Culms 18-75 cm, usually more than 1 mm thick, occasionally delicate, erect or ascending; nodes glabrous; internodes glabrous; fall phase with decumbent culms, branches arising from the lower and midculm nodes, rebranching 2-3 times, with small blades and secondary panicles compared to those on the culms, secondary panicles with 8-10 spikelets, partially included at maturity. Cauline leaves 3-5; sheaths shorter than the internodes, lower sheaths pubescent, upper sheaths glabrous, margins of all sheaths sparsely ciliate; ligules about 0.5 mm, of hairs; blades 5-11 cm long, 5-13 mm wide, thin, spreading to erect, usually glabrous, rarely pubescent abaxially, always glabrous adaxially, bases truncate to cordate, ciliate on the margins, blades of the flag leaves erect or ascending. Primary panicles 5-11 cm long, 3-8 cm wide, ovoid, long-exserted, with 40-220 spikelets. Spikelets 2-2.2 mm long, 0.8-1.3 mm wide, ellipsoid, usually reddish, shortly pubescent, subacute. Lower glumes 0.5-1 mm, triangular-ovate; lower florets sterile; upper florets slightly exceeding the upper glumes and lower lemmas, subacute. 2n = 18.

Distribution

Conn., N.J., N.Y., D.C., Wis., W.Va., N.H., N.C., Tenn., Pa., R.I., N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Labr.), N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Va., Vt., Ill., Ga., Ind., Iowa, Maine, Md., Mass., Ohio, Mo., Minn., Mich., Ky.

Discussion

Dichanthelium boreale grows in open woodlands and thickets, wet meadows, and fields. It is restricted to the Flora region. The primary panicles are mostly open-pollinated and are produced in May and June; the secondary panicles are predominantly cleistogamous and are produced from mid-June into October.

Dichanthelium boreale occasionally hybridizes with D. acuminatum and D. xanthophysum, producing a sterile triploid sometimes called Panicum calliphyllum Ashe.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

No values specified."usually distinctly longer and narrower" is not a number."decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Dichanthelium boreale"
rounded +  and attenuate +
anatomy +  and kranz +
Mary E. Barkworth +
(Nash) Freckmann +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
keeled +  and rounded +
well-differentiated +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
divergent +  and parallel +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
truncate +  and cordate +
swelling +
disarticulating +  and pseudopetiolate +
non-radiate +  and radiate +
distinct +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (11 cm110 mm <br />0.11 m <br />) +
glabrous +  and pubescent +
shortly ovate +  and lanceolate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
spikelike +
2-3 times with small blades +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
not developed +
terete +  and compressed +
sometimes longer +
Northern panicgrass +  and Panic boreal +
branching +  and hollow +
ascending +  and erect +
18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br /> (75 cm750 mm <br />0.75 m <br />) +
Conn. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, D.C. +, Wis. +, W.Va. +, N.H. +, N.C. +, Tenn. +, Pa. +, R.I. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. (Labr.) +, N.S. +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Va. +, Vt. +, Ill. +, Ga. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Maine +, Md. +, Mass. +, Ohio +, Mo. +, Minn. +, Mich. +  and Ky. +
capillary +
germination +
pistillate +  and staminate +
sometimes longer +
compressed +  and terete +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
unequal +
membranous +
uncinate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
Oval (?) +  and Round (?) +
bracteate +  and ebracteate +
solid +  and hollow +
cauline +  and basal +
coriaceous +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (?) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
1/5 +  and 3/4 +
triangular-ovate +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
complex +  and simple +
rebranched +  and branched +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
subterranean +
dry +  and fleshy +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (11 cm110 mm <br />0.11 m <br />) +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
in triplets +  and paired +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br />) +
40 +  and 220 +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
subacute +  and ellipsoid +
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.52 cm5.2 mm <br />0.0052 m <br />) +
0.8mm +  and 1.3mm +
1 +  and 3 +
fused +  and free +
2 +  and 3 +
dome--shaped +  and triangular +
Panicum boreale var. michiganense +  and Panicum boreale +
Dichanthelium boreale +
Dichanthelium sect. Dichanthelium +
species +
membranous +
chartaceous-indurate +
plant +  and cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
dioecious +, monoecious +  and synoecious +