Family: Poaceae
European alkali grass, weeping alkali grass
[Puccinellia retroflexa (Curtis) Holmb.]
Emmet J. Judziewicz
Kitty Kohout
University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)
Etymology: Puccinellia: for Professor Benedetto Puccinelli, Italian botanist
Plants: perennial grass
Habitat: waste areas, railroads
Conservation Status: Introduced - naturalized
Plants: perennial grass
Habitat: waste areas, railroads
Conservation Status: Introduced - naturalized
Gravel road shoulders, rocky waste areas, pavement cracks, lawn edges (especially where salt runoff accumulates), open muddy areas, fields, ditches, along railroads; rarely along lakeshores.
This is a European species, first collected in 1882. Alkali grass is a halophyte, and it has spread widely and rapidly across the state in response to the use of road salt. Large swaths of this species are conspicuous on road and highway shoulders in early summer, the plants having a bluish gray color.
This is a European species, first collected in 1882. Alkali grass is a halophyte, and it has spread widely and rapidly across the state in response to the use of road salt. Large swaths of this species are conspicuous on road and highway shoulders in early summer, the plants having a bluish gray color.
Flora of North America: Flora of North America Floristic Rating: Wetland Indicator = OBL USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos Grasses of Iowa: Detailed photographs, descriptions, maps
Kitty Kohout
from USDA Plants website
