Puccinellia nuttalliana
Encyclopedia
Puccinellia nuttalliana is a species of grass
known by the common name Nuttall's alkali grass. It is native to North America, where it is widespread from Alaska
east throughout Canada to Greenland
, and common in the western and central United States. It is present in the Arctic
, throughout the temperate mountain ranges, the Great Plains
, the Great Basin
, and along the western coastline of North America down through California
.
Puccinellia nuttalliana is a halophytic
grass, found in areas with saline soils. This is a perennial bunchgrass that is variable in form, remaining small and clumpy or producing erect stems up to a meter tall. The inflorescence
is made up of a few thin, spreading branches which spread further and sometimes become reflexed as the fruit matures.
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
known by the common name Nuttall's alkali grass. It is native to North America, where it is widespread from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
east throughout Canada to Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, and common in the western and central United States. It is present in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
, throughout the temperate mountain ranges, the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
, the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
, and along the western coastline of North America down through California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Puccinellia nuttalliana is a halophytic
Halophyte
A halophyte is a plant that grows where it is affected by salinity in the root area or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. An example of a halophyte is the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora . Relatively few plant species are...
grass, found in areas with saline soils. This is a perennial bunchgrass that is variable in form, remaining small and clumpy or producing erect stems up to a meter tall. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is made up of a few thin, spreading branches which spread further and sometimes become reflexed as the fruit matures.