Spartina pectinata Link, Jahrb. Gewaechsk . 1(3): 92-93. 1820. Type.

Saarela, Jeffery M., 2012, Taxonomic synopsis of invasive and native Spartina (Poaceae, Chloridoideae) in the Pacific Northwest (British Columbia, Washington and Oregon), including the first report of Spartina xtownsendii for British Columbia, Canada, PhytoKeys 10, pp. 25-82 : 46-48

Spartina pectinata Link, Jahrb. Gewaechsk. 1(3): 92-93. 1820. Type.

Spartina pectinata Link, Jahrb. Gewächsk. 1(3): 92-93. 1820. Type. United States of America:Aus Nordamerika, Bosc s.n. (holotype: B; isotype: US-92011! (fragm. ex B)).

Spartina cynosuroides fo. major St.-Yves, Candollea 5: 61, 62. 1932. Type. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Illinois: marais, Aug 1846, Riehl 488 (lectotype: P [P02243295!], here designated).

Spartina michauxiana Hitchc., Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 12(3): 153. 1908. Spartinacynosuroides var. michauxiana (Hitchc.) St.-Yves, Candollea 5: 58, t. 3, f. a-7. 1932. Type. United States of America. Illinois: hauteurs des terres, Michaux s.n. (holotype: P, not seen). Note: Spartina michauxiana is treated as a synonym of Spartina pectinata following Hitchcock (1951) and Mobberley (1956).

Spartina michauxiana var. suttiei Farw., Rep. Michigan Acad. Sci 21: 352.1920. Spartina pectinata var. suttiei (Farw.) Fernald, Rhodora 35: 260. 1933. Type. United States of America. Michigan: Island Lake, 16 Jul 1905, Farwell 1487a (holotype: probably BLH; isotype:GH [GH24445!]).

Spartina michauxiana var. tenuior Farw., Rep. Michigan Acad. Sci 21: 352.1920. Type. United States of America. Michigan: River Rouge, 15 Sep 1918, Farwell 5138 (holotype: probably BLH; isotype: MICH [MICH1108792!]).

Spartina pectinata fo. variegata Vict., Naturaliste Canad. 71: 209. 1944. Type. CANADA. Quebec: Ile Parrot (archipel d’Hochelaga’ sur le lac St-Louis), 12 Jul 1941, Victorin & Rolland 56603 (holotype: MT, not seen).

Description.

See Mobberley (1956), Barkworth (2003), and Douglas et al. (2001). 2 n = 40 ( Marchant 1963, 1968b, Reeder 1977).

Common name.

Prairie cordgrass.

Etymology.

The epithet pectinata means comb-like or tooth-like, and was given in reference to the distinctly pectinate teeth on the glume keels of Spartina pectinata , one of its diagnostic characteristics.

Illustrations.

Hitchcock 1935:490, Hitchcock 1951:510, Holmgren et al. 1998:749, Barkworth 2003:251, Cope and Gray 2009:553.

Distribution.

Spartina pectinata is widespread across much of North America north of Mexico, distributed in southern Alberta, eastern Washington and Oregon, south to Texas, and east to Newfoundland and Labrador ( Barkworth 2003). It grows in marshes, slough and floodplains, in dry prairies and along roads ( Barkworth 2003). It is known from a few scattered sites in Britain and Ireland where it has been introduced and escaped from cultivation ( Cope and Gray 2009).

Comments.

Spartina pectinata is not considered to be a problematic invasive species, though it has been introduced sporadically to other regions, such as the United Kingdom. It occurs natively in eastern Washington and Oregon ( Hitchcock et al. 1969, Barkworth 2003). Spartina pectinata is grown as an ornamental.

British Columbia is the only Canadian province in which Spartina pectinata is not native, but the taxon has been variously recognized as part of its flora. In the first major treatment of the British Columbia flora, Joseph K. Henry (1915) reported the non-native Spartina cynosuroides , an Atlantic coast taxon confused at the time with Spartina pectinata according to Eastham (1947), which Henry suggested might be present in the southern interior based on its presence in adjacent Washington. No collections of Spartina pectinata from the southern interior of British Columbia have been made. Spartina pectinata was added to the flora of British Columbia by Eastham (1947), based on a single collection made by V. Brink on the shore of Sea Island at the mouth of the Fraser River (where the Vancouver International Airport is now located). Eastham suggested that it might have been transported to this location down the river from the interior, but this is unlikely since there are no reports of the taxon from interior British Columbia. Based on this single record, Spartina pectinata was recognized as part of the British Columbia flora in subsequent floristic works ( Hubbard 1969, Taylor and MacBryde 1977, Scoggan 1978), but was later excluded by Douglas et al. (1994) on the basis of being an introduced species not collected in over 40 years. This exclusion was followed in recent treatments ( Qian and Klinka 1998, Douglas et al. 2001). Attempts to locate the Brink collection in British Columbia herbaria (V, UBC) were unsuccessful, and it is therefore not possible to confirm this report.. Spartina pectinata was recently collected in a vacant lot in the city of Burnaby (Lomer 6778, Fig. 10 , 6805, Suppl. Fig. 33), where it likely escaped or persisted from cultivation (F. Lomer, personal communication, 2011). The clump from which these specimens were obtained no longer exists, as the site has been built over (F. Lomer, personal communication, 2012). The specimens reported here are the first confirmed records of Spartina pectinata for British Columbia. The species is not considered to be invasive.

Morphology.

Spartina pectinata is readily distinguished from all other taxa in the Pacific Northwest by its conspicuously awned glumes [vs. glumes unawned or short-awned (awns to 2 mm long), the latter state sometimes present in Spartina gracilis ], and glume keels with robust, comb-like teeth [vs. glume keels that are glabrous, scabrous or ciliate]. Additional characters are given under other taxa.

Specimens examined.

CANADA. British Columbia: Greater Vancouver, Burnaby, Canada Way and Wedgewood St., NE corner, vacant lot of demolished home, 49°13'30"N, 122°56'30"W, 130 m, 01 Sep 2008, F.Lomer 6778 (UBC [UBCV227607, Fig. 10 ]); same location, 15 Sep 2008, F.Lomer 6805 (UBC [UBCV227406, Suppl. Fig. 33]). Manitoba: Rural Municipality of Pembina, NE of Darlingford and E of Manitou, 49°14'12"N, 98°18'04"W, 437 m, 16 Jul 2007, J.M.Saarela 1019 (CAN [CAN590577]). United States of America. Colorado: Fort Collins, 3 Aug 1898, n.c. 3551 (CAN [CAN162205]). Idaho: Oneida Co.: American Falls, 28 Jul 1911, A.Nelson & J.F.Macbride 1394 (CAN [CAN162207]). Kansas: S of Quinter, 16 Oct 1937, C.Brown s.n. (CAN [CAN162202]). Maine: Aroostook Co.: valley of the St. John River, Big Black River Rapids, Township xv, Range 13, 26 Jul 1917, H.St.John & G.E.Nichols 2135 (CAN [CAN162203]). Minnesota: Kittson Co.: Hallock, 16 Jul 1986, F.W.Schueler 16461 (CAN [CAN536117]). St. Louis Co.: beach of Esquagama Lake, 4 Aug 1944, O.Lakela 5647 (CAN [CAN162197]). New Hamsphire: Rockingham Co.: Newfields, along Squamscott River below bridge to Stratham, 8 Aug 1973, A.R.Hodgden & F.L.Steele 19838 (CAN [CAN555731]). Strafford Co.: Milton, edge of pond by railroad, 15 Jul 1959, A.R.Hodgden & F.L.Steele 11095 (CAN [CAN555851]). New York: Madison Co.: shore of Oneida Lake, South Bay, 27 Jun 1921, H.D.House 8289 (CAN [CAN162204]); St. Lawrence Co.: Morristown, 44°35'08"N, 75°38'53"W, 15 Aug 1914, O.P.Phelps 156 (CAN [CAN162209]). North Dakota: Lamoure Co.: along creek ½ mil W, 2 ¼ mi N of Edgeley, Nora Township, 46°21'34"N, 98°42'44"W, 24 Aug 1937, J.H.Moore & M.Moore 10094 (CAN [CAN198696]). Ohio: Lucas Co.: SE corner of Monclova Township, low bank of Maumee River at SW corner of Maumee city limits, 10 Sep 1967, R.L.Stuckey 5782 (CAN [CAN320720]). Oregon: Bars of Snake River, Ballard’s Landing, 8 Jul 1899, Wm.C.Cusick 2221 (CAN [CAN162206]). South Dakota: Aberdeen, Aug 1969, S.N.Stephenson s.n. (CAN [CANB432790]).

Figures

Figure 10. Photograph of a specimen of Spartina pectinata collected in Burnaby, British Columbia (Lomer 6778, UBC). Image published with the permission of the University of British Columbia Herbarium, Beaty Biodiversity Museum.