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Pungens: Answers
to key questions in Rushes, Bulrushes & Pondweeds plus the remaining
Monocots of Saskatchewan by V. L. Harms, A. L. Leighton, and M. A. Vetter
leading to this species. The answers are in the order you would
normally work through the key.
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Culms
3-angled (trigonous); inflorescences unbranched, usually a solitary
spikelet cluster, sometimes a solitary spikelet; distal leaf blades 2 -
5 times as long as their sheaths and 2 - 9 mm wide; scale apices bifid
with a notch 0.5 - 1 mm deep. NOT [Culms round (terete) or nearly
so; inflorescences usually branched, rarely a solitary spikelet (in S.
subterminalis); distal leaf blades usually much shorter than their
sheaths; if longer than their sheaths, then at most 1 mm wide; scale
apices entire or shallowly notched to <= 0.5 mm deep.]
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Schoenoplectus: Answers
to key questions in Rushes, Bulrushes & Pondweeds plus the remaining
Monocots of Saskatchewan by V. L. Harms, A. L. Leighton, and M. A. Vetter
leading to this genus. The
answers are in the order you would normally work through the key.
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Flowers
and achenes naked in the axils of scales, not enclosed in a sac; flowers
usually perfect (sometimes some flowers imperfect in Cyperus,
Rhynchospora and Cladium). NOT [Flowers and achenes enclosed in a
sac (perigynium) borne in the axils of scales; flowers imperfect.] |
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Perianth
bristles absent or up to 6 per flower; if more than 6, then only
somewhat longer than the achenes. NOT [Perianth bristles usually
more than 10 per flower, much longer than the achenes, conspicuously
elongated to over 10 mm long in fruit stage and usually obscuring most
scales in spikelets.] |
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Inflorescence
not a solitary, terminal spike; if solitary, terminal and spike-like,
then inflorescence +/- terete. NOT [Inflorescence a compressed,
solitary, terminal spike bearing few-flowered spikelets attached in 2
rows.] |
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Inflorescence
usually with > 1 spikelet; if only 1 spikelet present, then
inflorescence bract usually 10 - 200 mm long (but as short as 7 mm in
Schoenoplectus subterminalis) and achenes 2 - 3.5 mm long. NOT
[Inflorescence a solitary terminal spikelet; inflorescence bracts absent
or up to 8 mm long and only slightly longer than the spikelet; achenes
usually <= 2 mm long (up to 2.3 mm in Eleocharis quinqueflora).] |
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Achenes
lacking a tubercle but sometimes beaked. NOT [Achenes with a
narrowly triangular tubercle.] |
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Scales of
spikelets spirally arranged; spikelets terete. NOT [Scales of
spikelets 2-ranked; spikelets flattened or 4-sided.] |
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Plants
without the following combination of characteristics. NOT [Culms
tall and slender, 30 - 100 cm high and 1 - 2 mm wide; inflorescences
with stiffly ascending primary and secondary branches supporting 100 -
1,000 spikelets in compact clusters; achenes terete with bases discoid,
truncate, impressed and flared.] |
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Inflorescences
not subtended by leaf-like bracts, the proximal bract terete, trigonous
or thickly C-shaped in cross-section and resembling a continuation of
the culm (making the inflorescence appear to be attached to the side of
the culm although the bract may be pushed aside in Amphiscirpus as the
spikelets mature); longest bracts exceeding the inflorescence or not;
usually all leaves basal with blades often much shorter than their
sheaths. NOT [Inflorescences subtended by 2 or more leaf-like,
erect to spreading bracts; longest bracts exceeding the inflorescence;
leaves basal and cauline, or all cauline with cauline leaf blades well
developed.] |
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Achenes
beaked; scales shiny or dull, various shades of brown without strongly
contrasting midribs; ligules membranous, lacking hairs; culms and leaves
+/- spongy due to presence of air cavities; proximal sheaths not
disintegrating into fibers. NOT [Achenes beakless; scales often
glossy (as if lacquered), chestnut-brown with contrasting pale midribs;
ligules ciliate usually with some hairs visible along the sheath summit
where it joins the blade; culms and leaves wiry and tough, air cavities
lacking; proximal sheaths often disintegrating into fibers.]
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