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

Alopecurus alpinus 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 decumbent at base

Leaves:

upper sheaths slightly inflated, glabrous; 3 – 5 mm broad, flat, somewhat hispid on nerves

Inflorescence:

panicle spicate, 1 – 5 cm long, to 1 cm wide, oblong

Spikelets:

to 4 mm long, woolly

Flowers:

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

Fruits:

caryopsis

ALOPECURUS KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Panicles thick, to 1 cm wide; glumes densely woolly	A. alpinus
1 Panicles slender to 0.5 cm wide; glumes ciliate or pilose	2

2 Anthers less than 0.6 mm long; plants annual, not rooting at nodes on decumbent 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 decumbent stem base	3

3 Culms erect or spreading; lemma awn slightly exserted, usually straight; anthers orange yellow	A. aequalis var. aequalis
3 Culms usually decumbent; lemma awn greatly exserted, usually geniculate; 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.