Spikelets 3-5 mm, with (2)3-5 florets. Lower glumes 0.6-1.3 mm; upper glumes 1.5-2.3 mm, usually rounded, sometimes acute; lemmas 1.8-2.5 mm. 2n = 60.

Glyceria canadensis var. laxa grows in swamps, bogs, and wet woods, primarily along the eastern seaboard of North America from Nova Scotia to northeastern Tennessee. It is sometimes treated as a hybrid, G. ×laxa (Scribn.) Scribn., but several specimens have dehiscent anthers and well-formed caryopses, indicating that they are not hybrids. The report of 2n = 30 is based on counts for G. ×ottawaensis.

Much like no. 7 [Glyceria canadensis (Michx.) Trin.], but often taller, with larger (to 4 dm) and very diffuse panicles with smaller spikelets, glumes and lemmas; spikelets ovate, 4-5 mm; 4-6-fld; glumes scarious-margined, the first lanceolate, 1.2-2 mm, the second ovate, 1.8-2.4 mm; lemmas ovate, with visible but not raised veins, 2.3-2.9 mm, the scarious margins almost or quite covering the obovate palea, the obtuse tip scarcely or not at all projecting; male-sterile; 2n=42, 46. Swamps and wet woods; P.E.I. to W.Va. (G. canadensis var. laxa Thought to be a hybrid of no. 7 with no. 10 [Glyceria grandis S. A. Gray] or no. 9 [Glyceria striata (Lam.) Hitchc.]

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

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