Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Plant Quiz Solved: Pod Grass (Scheuchzeria palustris)

Congrats and thanks to Jackie (Woodswalker) and Jim for correctly identifying this as the rare and very unusual pod grass (Scheuchzeria palustris).  This monocot can be found in scattered spots throughout the Northeast, Great Lakes states, and even sparingly in the mountain west and Pacific northwest.  It grows in the saturated sphagnum of peat bogs and kettle lakes throughout the northern hemisphere.  Here in Ohio, it only grows in a couple sites in the northeast corner in its typical sphagnum bog mat habitat.  This particular specimen was photographed at Brown's Lake Bog nature preserve in Wayne Co., Ohio.

Another interesting fact about this plant is its circumboreal distribution; meaning it can be found all around the globe in the northern hemisphere.  Some taxonomists split the species into two varieties based on geographic range alone, while others keep it as one species throughout its range.  Here in North America, our variety is called S. palustris var. americana.  Pod grass is a monotypic taxon and the only species/member of its genus (Scheuchzeria) and family (Scheuchzeriaceae).

It's time for another plant quiz!  Look carefully at the photograph below and see what you think before commenting with your best guess or answer.  Best of luck and thanks to all that participate!

Do you recognize this plant?

7 comments:

  1. Yes! At last you show me one I have found in New York, although Pod Grass (Scheuchzeria palustris) is listed as "Rare" in the state. Is it more abundant in Ohio? We once came upon masses of it growing in an Adirondack bog, and couldn't believe our eyes.

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    1. I figured you may know this one right away, Jackie :) It's considered endangered in Ohio and can only be found in 2-3 kettle pond sphagnum mats in the NE part of Ohio. Perhaps we'll run into some when I return for some bog trotting and botanizing this May!

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  2. Dipping deeply into the local rarities, Andrew, featuring a plant such as Scheuchzeria palustris. Great shot of a hard to shoot plant!

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    1. Thanks, Jim! I figured people would either scratch their heads and not even know where to begin with this plant or immediately recognize it. Seems to be how it goes with rare and unusual plants! In the end I like to introduce folks to these rarities and oddities that they have otherwise never knew existed.

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  3. I was busy scratching my head because I had no idea where to begin.

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    1. It was a tough one, indeed! I was curious how many people would know or even comment. It's definitely the type of plant where you either know it right away or have zero ideas. I will definitely try to do a more common and wide-ranging plant next time.

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    2. I didn't have a clue.I love the rare and unusual plant pictures otherwise you'll never see what they look like.Thanks for the great job of photos not mentioning all the time finding the plants themselves.

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