Species: Alopecurus alpinus Sm.

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Alopecurus alpinus Sm.

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Poaceae

Genus:

Alopecurus

Species Synonyms:

Alopecurus alpinus ssp. glaucus (Less.) Hulten
Alopecurus alpinus ssp. stejnegeri (Vasey) Hulten
Alopecurus borealis Trin.
Alopecurus glaucus (Less.) Kryl.
Alopecurus occidentalis Scribn. & Tweedy

Common Names:

boreal alopecurus
alpine foxtail
western foxtail

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

Yukon – Mackenzie District – Canadian Archipelago – Ellesmere Island – Ungava and Labrador, south to northeastern Manitoba and northern Ontario, isolated in southwestern Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan:

southwestern Saskatchewan; Cypress Hills

Ecoregion:

Cypress Upland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

moist woods and thickets

Canada:

meadows and margins of streams

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Endangered

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Boreal alopecurus is endangered because of extreme rarity in Saskatchewan. It is restricted to one subregion of the province. No immediate threats are known but are possible in the future.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

15 – 60 cm

Roots:

rhizome short, creeping

Stems:

perennial, erect or creeping at base

Leaves:

upper sheaths slightly inflated, hairless; 3 – 5 mm broad, flat, somewhat hairy on nerved

Inflorescence:

appearing unbranched, 1 – 5 cm long, to 1 cm wide, oblong

Spikelets:

to 4 mm long, woolly

Florets:

glumes 3 – 4 mm long, densely woolly; lemma shorter than glumes; lemma awn inserted near base, exserted up to 5 mm, straight or bent

Fruits:

caryopsis

ALOPECURUS KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Inflorescences thick, to 1 cm wide; glumes densely woolly	A. alpinus
1 Inflorescences slender to 0.5 cm wide; glumes with hairy margins or long, straight hairs	2

2 Anthers less than 0.6 mm long; plants annual, not rooting at nodes on creeping stem base, stem tending to be more erect	A. carolinianus
2 Anthers greater than 0.6 mm long; plants perennial, tending to root at nodes from creeping stem base	3

3 Stems erect or spreading; lemma awn slightly exserted, usually straight; anthers orange yellow	A. aequalis var. aequalis
3 Stems usually creeping; lemma awn greatly exserted, usually bent; anthers pale yellow or purplish	A. geniculatus var. geniculatus

* Alopecurus X haussknechtianus is a hybrid between A. aequalis var. aequalis and A. geniculatus var. geniculatus with intermediate characteristics.