Quackgrass

Poaceae

LIFE FORM: Perennial

NATIVITY: Europe

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

A "running" grass with jointed, scaly underground stems that produce new shoots at each node; can be difficult to eradicate.

FLOWERS:

The seedhead is a long spike.

FRUIT/DISPERSAL AGENTS:

Self-sows and spreads rapidly.

ECOLOGICAL PREFERENCE:

Trampled lawns in public parks; minimally maintained public parks and open space; abandoned grasslands (meadows); unmowed highway banks and median strips with frequent salt applications.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTION:

Salt tolerance; drought tolerance on compacted soils; erosion control on slopes.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

This clonally spreading species is common in all cultivated grasslands; young stems are used in European traditional medicine to purify the blood. Used as forage for domestic animals.