Puccinellia lemmonii

Lemmon's alkali grass

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Lemmon's alkali grass is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, California Ranges, and Great Basin in saline meadows and flats at elevations of 700 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces small, delicate flowers in narrow, branching inflorescences up to 10 centimeters long. Growing with fine, tightly inrolled leaves less than 2 millimeters wide, it forms dense, low-growing clumps characteristic of alkali-adapted grasses. Its leaves are distinctively narrow, rolling into thin threads when dry, with spikelets featuring lemmas that have acute tips and slightly scabrous margins. The plant's adaptations to saline environments are evident in its compact growth form and ability to thrive in challenging meadow conditions.

Habitat: Saline meadows, flats

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 700-2000 m

Bioregions: KR, CaR, GB

California counties: Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Plumas, Siskiyou, Inyo, Monterey, San Mateo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.