Puccinellia nuttalliana
Nuttall's alkali grass
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Puccinellia nuttalliana (Nuttall's alkali grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by intermediate size features provide distinction.
Nuttall's alkali grass is a native perennial found in California's Central Valley and Great Basin in saline meadows and flats at elevations below 2,640 meters. Flowering from June to September, this grass produces small delicate spikelets with erect to reflexed branches. Growing in dense tufts with slender stems 5 to 30 centimeters tall, it has distinctive flat to slightly rolled leaf blades 1 to 4 millimeters wide. Its leaves are cauline with narrow, flexible blades that adapt well to salty, open terrain. When mature, the grass forms compact inflorescences with spikelets featuring lemmas 2.2 to 3 millimeters long with scabrous-serrate margins near the tip.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Co-occurs with 6 species; intermediate size features provide distinction
Habitat and range
Habitat: Saline meadows, flats
Elevation: < 2640 m
California counties: Contra Costa, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Modoc, Riverside, Lassen, Yolo, Tulare, Mono, Kern, Amador, Inyo, Alameda, Siskiyou, Trinity, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Solano, Santa Cruz
Outside California: to Alaska, eastern North America
Bloom period
Puccinellia nuttalliana blooms Jun-Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Distichlis: Puccinellia has round stems and tufted growth; Distichlis has strongly flattened stems with leaves in two distinct rows.; vs Bromus: Puccinellia has faint 5-veined lemmas in alkaline sites; Bromus has prominent 5-9 veined lemmas in upland sites.; vs Torreyochloa: Puccinellia is tufted in saline soils; Torreyochloa has rhizomes and grows in high-elevation freshwater.; vs Glyceria: Puccinellia has faintly veined lemmas in alkaline soil; Glyceria has prominent veins and closed leaf sheaths in freshwater.; vs Desmazeria: Puccinellia is perennial in alkaline wetlands; Desmazeria is annual of dry disturbed sites with different spikelet structure.
Frequently asked questions
Is Puccinellia nuttalliana native to California?
Yes. Puccinellia nuttalliana is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Puccinellia nuttalliana bloom?
Puccinellia nuttalliana blooms Jun-Sep.
Where in California does Puccinellia nuttalliana grow?
Puccinellia nuttalliana occurs in Contra Costa, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Modoc, Riverside, Lassen, Yolo, Tulare and other counties, at elevations of < 2640 m.
What plant family does Puccinellia nuttalliana belong to?
Puccinellia nuttalliana is in the Poaceae family, genus Puccinellia.
What habitat does Puccinellia nuttalliana grow in?
Puccinellia nuttalliana grows in Saline meadows, flats.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.