Puccinellia sp.
Alkali grass, Alkali Grass
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Berger · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Perennial · Variable; species dependent
Puccinellia sp. (Alkali grass) is a non-native California perennial in the Poaceae family.
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 sp. native to California?
No. Puccinellia sp. is not native to California (recorded as variable; species dependent).
What plant family does Puccinellia sp. belong to?
Puccinellia sp. is in the Poaceae family, genus Puccinellia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Puccinellia distans — European alkali grass
- Puccinellia howellii — Howell's alkali grass
- Puccinellia lemmonii — Lemmon's alkali grass
- Puccinellia nutkaensis — Alaska alkali grass
- Puccinellia nuttalliana — Nuttall's alkali grass
- Puccinellia parishii — Parish's alkali grass
- Rytidosperma caespitosum — Tufted wallaby grass
- Rytidosperma penicillatum — Hairy oat grass
- Rytidosperma racemosum
- Rytidosperma sp.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-04-14
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.