Panicum tuckermannii — Tuckerman's panicgrass
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Facts
Tuckerman's panicgrass is a widespread grass of shorelines, especially receding shorelines, roadsides, ditches and fields. It is found in all New England states.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Spikelet length
- 1.4–2 mm
- One or more florets
-
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Anther length
- 0.7–0.9 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 0.7–0.9 mm
- Anther number
- 0–3
- Bristles below spikelets
- no
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is hard and firm
- Floret number
- 1–2
- Floret types within spikelet
-
- NA
- there are at least two distinct forms of florets within one spikelet
- Glume shape
- the glume is flat or curved in cross-section
- Glume veins
-
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7 or more
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis orientation
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Inflorescence crowding
- the panicle is somewhat to very spread out, with clearly-evident branches
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is branched, and the branches do NOT both grow from the same side of the plant AND look like spikes
- Lemma awn base
- NA
- Lemma awn coiled
- NA
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has no awn
- Lemma awn orientation
- NA
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
- the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
- Lemma vein number
-
- 3
- 5
- 7 or more
- One or more florets
-
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet length
- 1.4–2 mm
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Upper glume shape
- the upper glume is widest at or below the middle
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives only a single year or less
-
Leaves
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of fine hairs
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
- Leaf sheath hairs
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
None
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
7. Panicum tuckermannii Fern. N
Tuckermann’s panicgrass. Panicum philadelphicum Bernh. ex Trin. var. tuckermanii (Fern.) Steyermark & Schmoll • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Shorelines, especially frequent on receding shorelines, roadsides, ditches, low areas in fields. Though sometimes considered to be a dwarf state of Panicum philadelphicum, study by Darbyshire and Cayouette (1995) demonstrated that P. tuckermannii is distinct (in fact, more distinct than var. campestre, making it appropriate to treat this taxon as a species). In addition to characters used in the identification key, P. tuckermannii and P. philadelphicum often differ in their spikelet disarticulartion. The former has spikelets that consistently disarticulates below the glumes, leaving behind an empty pedicel. The latter has spikelets that often disarticulate on the rachilla first, the fertile floret dropping prior to the more tardily disarticulating glumes and sterile lemma.
Native to North America?
Yes