Puccinellia pauciramea (Hack.) V. I. Krecz. ex Ovcz. & Czukav.

Perennial, tufted. Culms geniculately ascending, 15–30 cm tall, with many tillering shoots, 5–10 cm tall. Ligule 1–3 mm; leaf blades conduplicate or inrolled, 4–10 cm, 1–2 mm wide, margins and adaxial surface scabrid. Panicle broadly open, 4–7 cm; branches 2 per node, smooth, spikelets 1–3 at branch tips. Spikelets 5–6 mm, florets 2–4; glumes with apex obtuse or acuminate, lower glume 1.2–1.5 mm, upper glume 1.8–2 mm; lemmas 2.5–3.5 mm, purple with golden yellow membranous margins, glabrous, keeled, apex obtusely triangular; palea keels smooth or with 1–2 teeth; anthers 0.6–1.3 mm. Fl. Jun–Jul. 2n = 28.

Qinghai, Xinjiang, Xizang [Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan].

Lake banks, sand dunes, gravel of river valleys, alluvial fans, saline soils in mountainous areas; 3000–5000 m.

Atropis distans (Jacquin) Grisebach f. pauciramea Hackel, Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 21: 442. 1903; A. pauciramea (Hackel) V. I. Kreczetowicz.