Puccinellia himalaica Tzvelev

Known only from a handful of specimens collected between 3000 and 5000 m.

Perennial, tufted. Culms 5–20 cm tall. Leaf sheaths smooth; ligule 0.7–1.8 mm; leaf blade conduplicate or inrolled, 3–4 cm, 0.7–2 mm wide, glabrous or adaxial surface scabrid. Panicle contracted at first, open at maturity, 3–9 × 1–4 cm; branches 2–5 per node, 1–6 cm, slender, ascending, smooth. Spikelets 2.4–3.5 mm, pale green, becoming purple, florets 2–4; glumes with conspicuous midrib, apex acuminate, lower glume 0.9–1.5 mm, 1-veined, upper glume 1.2–1.9 mm, 3-veined; lemmas 1.5–2.1 mm, glabrous, apex obtusely acuminate, sometimes midrib extended into mucro; palea keels smooth or scabrid toward apex; anthers 0.5–0.7 mm. Fl. Jun–Jul.

Tufted perennial; culms 5-20(-30) cm high, erect or ascending. Leaf-blades flat, folded or convolute, 2-6 cm long, 0.7-2 mm wide, pallid or greyish-green, smooth or faintly scaberulous above. Panicle narrow, 4-9 cm long, the branches bare in the lower part, smooth or faintly scaberulous, ascending at first, spreading (but not deflexed) at maturity. Spikelets 2.5-4 mm long, 2-4(-5)-flowered, green or tinged with purple; glumes ovate, subacute, the lower 0.9-1.5 mm long, 1-nerved, the upper 1.2-2mm long, 3-nerved; lemmas 1.5-2.1 mm long, oblong-ovate, rounded, truncate or subacute at the tip, glabrous (except for some short hairs on the margins), the mid-nerve reaching the tip and sometimes excurrent as a mucro; palea keels smooth or faintly scabrid above; anthers 0.5-0.7 mm long.

Xinjiang, W Xizang [Afghanistan, India, Pakistan; SW Asia (Iran)].

Distribution: Kashmir and Lahul.

Open grassy places, marshy sandy places on lake and river shores, meadows, along ditches, moist lake ravines; 3000–5000 m.