Kingdom Plantae Family Poaceae Genus Puccinellia Rank Species | Order Poales Subfamily Pooideae Scientific name Puccinellia nutkaensis | |
Similar Puccinellia nuttalliana, Puccinellia festuciformis, Calamagrostis nutkaensis, Puccinellia maritima, Puccinellia distans | ||
Puccinellia nutkaensis is a species of grass known by the common names Nootka alkaligrass and Alaska alkali grass. It is native to North America from Alaska across northern Canada to Greenland and Nova Scotia, and down the west coast of the United States to the Central Coast of California.
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Habitat
It is a plant of the coastline in wet areas with rocky, sandy saline soils. A halophyte, the grass is used for revegetation of salt marshes and other habitat in the intertidal zone in Alaska, where it is valuable for its tolerance of heavy inundation in cold saltwater during high tides and storm surges.
Description
Puccinellia nutkaensis is a perennial bunchgrass which is quite variable in appearance, taking a petite, clumpy form or growing erect to 90 centimeters in height with robust inflorescences. It sometimes roots at stem nodes that become buried in moist substrate, and forms dense stands.
A species of leafhopper, Macrosteles fascifrons, is associated with this grass in Alaska, remaining on the grass even when it is submerged amid icebergs.