Agrostis swalalahos Otting, 2023

Agrostis swalalahos Otting View in CoL , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–5 View FIG View FIG ). TYPE: OREGON. Clatsop Co.: Angora Peak , Arch Cape Mill Road,11 air km SE of Cannon Beach and 2.5 air km E of the Pacific Ocean ,45.79660˚ N , − 123.93546˚ W, 490 m, 19 Jul 2022 , N. Otting 9915 (HOLOTYPE: OSC; ISOTYPES: CAS, MO, NY, UC, US, UTC, V, WS, WTU) .

Diagnosis.— Agrostis swalalahos has a short-rhizomatous,sod-forming habit,spikelets not crowded,lemma awns (3–) 3.6–5 mm long arising at or a little below middle of lemma,lemma apices truncate, palea absent or minute,and anthers (1.2–) 1.5–2 mm long.

Description.— Plants sod-forming, rhizomes to 5(–14) cm long, 0.6–1 mm diameter. Shoots extravaginal but often densely clustered, sometimes pseudointravaginal; cataphylls present, prophylls rudimentary. Culms 20–75 cm tall, erect or curved at the base, occasionally slightly geniculate, internodes 4–6, nodes yellowish, smooth, glabrous. Leaves basal and cauline; sheaths open to the base, margins overlapping, smooth; sheaths of the previous year shredding, veins persisting as slender fibers; ligules progressively longer on distal leaves, to 2(–3) mm long on proximal leaves, to 3.5(–4) mm long on uppermost leaves, longer than wide, smooth, more or less truncate, often longer on one or both sides than in the middle, minutely erose; blades 2.5–13 cm long, 0.8–3 mm wide, symmetrical, the centric midrib weakly developed, with about 5 veins on either side, flat, becoming folded to loosely involute on drying; margins minutely scaberulous; abaxial surface smooth; adaxial surface sometimes minutely scaberulous on veins, especially proximally. Panicles 10–22 × 1–8 cm, ovate to lanceolate, open when mature, well exerted from the sheath, with 70–200(–310) spikelets; branches 1–2(–6) per node, 2–8.5 cm long, spreading to erect, readily visible, branched near or above midlength, slender, terete or sometimes somewhat angled especially proximal to nodes, somewhat lax, spikelet-bearing in the distal third to half, smooth to very sparsely scabrous proximally, slightly less sparsely distally; scabers approximately 0.1 mm, slender, delicate, antrorse; pedicels 1.4–7(–10) mm long, 0.5–2(–3) times as long as the spikelet, distally expanded, 0.2–0.8 mm wide just below the spikelet, sparsely to very sparsely scabrous, scabers occasionally clustered. Spikelets (2.5–)3–5(–5.7) mm long, 1-flowered; rachilla extension absent; glumes (2.5–)3–5(–5.7) mm long, the upper 75–98% as long as the lower, 0.8–1.6 mm wide, lanceolate, scarious, purple but often green on and near midrib, senescing tan, 1-veined, laterally compressed, smooth except lower glume scabridulous on the midvein at least on distal half and sometimes also on sides distally; apex narrowly acute; margins hyaline; callus hairs 0.2–0.8 mm long, lateral; lemmas 2.3–3.1 mm long, smooth, translucent, white, obscurely 5-veined, apices truncate and very narrow, the veins excurrent to about 0.2 mm; awns (3–) 3.6–5 mm long, originating 30–50(–55)% of lemma length above callus, geniculate, exerted 1–4 mm, scaberulous, persistent; paleas absent or to 0.2 mm long, hyaline, transparent, smooth; anthers 3,(1.2–) 1.5–2 mm long, yellow to whitish, occasionally with a longitudinal band of purple speckles. Caryopses 1.5–2 × 0.5–0.7 mm, glabrous, somewhat adherent to the palea (if present), oblong, shallowly longitudinally grooved ventrally, slightly dorsiventrally compressed, light brown, translucent, embryo about 25% as long as the caryopsis, hilum dark and narrowly triangular at the apex, about 1/5 the length of the grain, endosperm soft.

Habitat, range.— Grassy balds and cliffs on mountains at northwestern edge of the Coast Range within 20 km of the ocean, elevation 460–975 m, Clatsop County, Oregon ( Fig. 6 View FIG ). Associated species: Acmispon parviflorus (Benth.) D.D. Sokoloff , Agrostis capillaris L., Agrostis castellana Boiss. & Reuter , Agrostis pallens Trin. , Agrostis stolonifera L, Aira caryophyllea L., Aira praecox L., Allium cernuum Roth , Arabis hirsuta (L.) Scop., Aruncus sylvester Kosel ex Maxim. , Athyrium filix-femina (L.) Roth, Calamagrostis nutkaensis (J. Presl) J. Presl ex Steud. , Cascadia nuttalii Small , Castilleja chambersii M. Egger , Castilleja hispida Benth. ssp. hispida , Cirsium edule Nutt. , Cladothamnus pyroliflorus Bongard , Digitalis purpurea L., Equisetum arvense L, Erysimum capitatum (Douglas ex Hook.) Greene var. capitatum , Festuca rubra L., Holcus lanata L., Hypochaeris radicata L., Koeleria macrantha (Ledeb.) Schult , Lomatium martindalei (J.M. Coult. & Rose) J.M. Coult. & Rose , Montia parvifolia (MoÇ.ex DC.) Greene, Packera flettii (Wiegand) W.A.Weber & Á. Löve , Polystichum munitum (Kaulf) C. Presl , Rubus spectabilis Pursh , Sagina procumbens L., Poa stenantha Trin. , Sedum oreganum Nutt. , Selaginella oregana D.C. Eaton , Selaginella wallacei Hieron. , Spiranthes porrifolia Lindl. , Thalictrum occidentale A. Gray , Trifolium dubium Sibth. , Trifolium longipes Nutt.

Phenology.— Flowering mid-June through August.

Etymology.— Swala-lalhos is the interpretation given by early English-speaking explorers to an aboriginal name for what is now more widely known as Saddle Mountain ( Giesecke 1991), the tallest mountain of the Coast Range between Roger’s Peak in Tillamook County, Oregon, and the Olympic Mountains of northwest Washington. It is the site of a Chinook origination story. The name has also been applied to the floristic area that encompasses all known populations of Agrostis swalalahos ( Sayce 2010) .

Additional Agrostis swalalahos specimens examined. U.S.A. Oregon. Clatsop Co.: Onion Peak , T4 N R10 W S22 , SE-facing clope at the summit, 29 Jun 1971, K. L . Chambers 3166 ( OSC); Onion Peak, T4 N R10 W S22 , on the open summit, 21Jul 1971, K. L . Chambers 3251 ( OSC); Saddle Mt. State Park , T6 N R8 W S33 , on Saddle Mt. , along trail from campground to summit, 22 Jun 1972, K. L . Chambers 3479 ( ORE); Saddle Mt. State Park , T6 N R8 W , by trail from campground to summit, 22 Jun 1972, K. L . Chambers 3495 ( OSC); Saddle Mt. State Park, on Saddle Mt , T6 N R8 W S33 , along trail from campground to summit, 3 Aug 1972, K. L . Chambers 3538 ( OSC); Sugarloaf Mt, about 5 mi SE of Cannon Beach, T4 N R10 W S1 , 11 Jun 1973, K. L . Chambers 3785 ( OSC); Saddle Mt. ( Middle Peak ), 27 Jun 1951, L. E . Detling 6974 ( ORE); Saddle Mt. , 22 Jun 1952, J. T . Howell 28420 ( OSC, US, WILLU, WTU); Angora Peak, Arch Cape Mill Road, 45.79545°N,− 123.93600°W, 490 m, 10 Jul 2021, N GoogleMaps . Otting 9628 ( OSC); Angora Peak, Arch Cape Mill Road ,45.795847˚ N , − 123.934842°W, 470 m, 26 Jul 2021, N . Otting 9642 ( CAS, F, MO, NY, OSC, UBC, UC, US, UTC, V, WS, WTU); Angora Peak, Arch Cape Mill Road, 45.79647°N, − 123.93542°W, 480 m, 6 Aug 2022, N GoogleMaps . Otting 9939 ( CAS, MO, NY, OSC, UC, US, UTC, V, WS, WTU); Angora Peak, Arch Cape Mill Road 45.79691°N,− 123.93526°W, 490 m, 26 Aug 2022, N GoogleMaps . Otting 9957 ( CAS, MO, NY, OSC, US) .

We also examined relevant Agrostis herbarium specimens, including all A. pallens specimens at ORE, OSC, WILLU, and WTU.

KEY TO THE PERENNIAL SPECIES OF AGROSTIS IN View in CoL OREGON AND WASHINGTON. NATIVE SPECIES IN BOLDFACE 1. PaniCles dense,spikelets Crowded,overlapping,paniCle axes not Clearly visible;lower branChes usually <3(5) Cm. 2. Leaf blades 0.5–2 mm wide,usually folded;paniCles 0.2–1.2(2) Cm wide;plants Caespitose. 3. Longest paniCle branChes <0.5 Cm;anthers 0.7–2 mm ___________________________________________ A. blasdalei View in CoL HitChC. 3. Longest paniCle branChes 0.5–1.5 Cm;anthers 0.4–1 mm __________________________________________ A. variabilis Rydb. View in CoL 2. Leaf blades usually (1) 2–10 mm wide,usually flat; paniCles 0.4–4(6) Cm wide;plant habit various. 4. Plants stoloniferous or rhizomatous;anthers 0.7–2 mm; longest paniCle branChes 2–5 Cm. 5. Plants stoloniferous;paleas 0.7–1.4 mm ________________________________________________________ A.stolonifera View in CoL L. 5. Plants rhizomatous;paleas 0–0.2 mm ___________________________________________________________ A.pallens Trin. View in CoL 4. Plants Cespitose;anthers 0.3–0.7 mm; longest paniCle branChes 0.3–2(5) Cm. 6. BaCk of glumes fine-sCabrous throughout;paleas 0.5–0.7 mm ___________________________________ A. densiflora Vasey View in CoL 6. BaCk of glumes usually glabrous exCept finely sCabrous on the keel; paleas 0–0.5 mm ___________________ A. exarata Trin. View in CoL 1. PaniCles open,spikelets not Crowded,not overlapping,paniCle axes Clearly visible;lower branChes 0.5–12 Cm. 7. Paleas 0.6–1.4 mm. 8. Ligules of the upper leaves longer than wide, 2–7.5 mm; paniCle branChes often spikelet-bearing to the base. 9. Plants rhizomatous; paniCles 8–30 Cm, usually open after anthesis; longest paniCle branChes 4–9 Cm; Culms 20–120 Cm ______________________________________________________________________________ A.gigantea Roth View in CoL 9. Plants stoloniferous;paniCles 3–20 Cm,usually ContraCted after anthesis;longest paniCle branChes 2–6 Cm;Culms 8–60 Cm _________________________________________________________________________________ A.stolonifera View in CoL L. 8. Ligules of the upper leaves usually shorter than wide, 0.3–3 mm;paniCle branChes with spikelets Confined to the distal 30–50%. 10.Calluses glabrous or with a few hairs to 0.1 mm; lemmas usually awnless or with awns to 2 mm ____________ A.Capillaris View in CoL L. 10. Calluses hairy, hairs to 0.6 mm; lemma awns to 5 mm, often present on lemma of the terminal spikelet of a branCh_________________________________________________________________________ A.Castellana Boiss.& Reut. View in CoL 7. Paleas 0–0.2 mm. 11. Rhizomes or stolons well developed. 12. Plants from stolons,appearing loosely Cespitose;lemmas 1–2 mm ____________________________________ A.Canina View in CoL L. 12. Plants from rhizomes,sod-forming or shoots tufted or arising singly;lemmas 1.5–3.1 mm. 13. Callus hairs ConspiCuous (0.8) 1–2 mm;lemma awns absent____________________________________ A. hallii Vasey View in CoL 13. Callus hairs absent or to 0.8 mm;lemma awns absent or present.