Puccinellia Parl.

Perennials or a few annuals, mostly caespitose, occasionally rhizomatous or stoloniferous, bisexual. Leaves: sheath margins free; ligule an eciliate membrane; blade rolled, folded or flat. Inflorescence paniculate, rarely reduced and raceme-like (not in Australia). Spikelets pedicellate, laterally compressed, disarticulating above glumes and between florets, with 2–13 bisexual florets; rachilla glabrous, the extension with incomplete florets. Glumes 2, unequal, shorter than spikelet, usually shorter than adjacent lemmas but up to twice as long in Puccinellia harcusiana, awnless, rounded to somewhat keeled; lower glume 1 (–3)-veined; upper glume 3-veined. Lemmas obtuse to subacute, often erose, similar in texture to glumes but membranous and/or erose at apex, awnless, rounded, 5-veined, often pubescent toward base, sometimes glabrous. Callus usually puberulous, sometimes glabrous or ciliate. Paleas 2-keeled; keels symmetrically scabrous in upper half (glabrous in Puccinellia sp. Swan Reach), and glabrous to ciliate in lower half. Lodicules 2, free, membranous. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous. Caryopsis dorsiventrally compressed; hilum round to oval; embryo small. Endosperm hard. [See also Du Puy et al. (1993: 462–463).]

Usually growing in coastal salt marshes or inland on saline soils near brackish water (Du Puy et al. 1993: 463).