Puccinellia lucida is a perennial grass which grows in south-eastern Canada and occasionally elsewhere in the United States. Its specific epithet lucida means "shining", referring to the plant's lustrous glumes.
Puccinellia lucida is a green, loosely cespitose grass growing NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) tall. It has cauline leaves with flaccid, involute blades. Its basal leaf sheaths can be somewhat purple. Its acute ligule is NaNmm long. Its diffuse panicle is NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) long, with filiform, scabrous floral branches. Its pale green spikelets are NaNmm long and bear three to five flowers. Its glumes are thin and lustrous; the first glume is NaNmm long, hyaline above, and minutely serrulate, and its second glume is NaNmm long. Its lemmas are NaNmm long, broadly ovate, acute, and are pubescent especially towards their base where hairs become longer. The grass flowers from July into August.[1]
Puccinellia lucida is most similar to the species Puccinellia laurentiana, Puccinellia airoides, and Puccinellia macra. From the first two species P. lucida differs in its longer, thinner, and lustrous lemmas; from the first additionally by its scabrous floral branches and softer, greener foliage, and from the second by its longer grain and less exerted panicle. From the third species P. lucida differs in its involute leaves, diffuse panicle, pale spikelets, and longer lemmas.[2]
Puccinellia lucida occurs in saline marches and coastal sands along the lower St. Lawrence River in Quebec, but rare populations have also been found in Wyoming to British Columbia and into California.[1]