Puccinellia rupestris
A European Puccinellia genus perennial halophyte grass adapted to saline coastal habitats, forming dense clumps with stiff upright stems, narrow tough leaves, and small green spikelets that flower in summer via wind pollination, native to western and southwestern Europe with introductions in North America and New Zealand.
Common Names
Stiff Saltmarsh Grass, Stiff Saltmarsh-Grass, British Alkali Grass
Summary
Stiff Saltmarsh Grass is a European halophyte, an annual or biennial tufted grass forming dense clumps and reaching about 10–50 cm in height; leaves are greyish-green and flat, 2–6 mm wide, with a stiff, often one-sided flowering spike and a compact panicle, spikelets densely packed on one side and flowering typically June–August; it inhabits bare saline soils above the tidal limit, including back-of-sea walls, tracks and grazing marshes, and can occur on firm muddy shingle and in rock crevices.
Commonly associated with coastal saline environments, this species is used for restoration of saline habitats and for soil stabilization and erosion control in dunes, salt marshes, and coastal areas.
Lifecycle
Annual or biennial, Perennial
Height
12-16 inches
Spread
12-20 inches
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun (6-8 hours/day).
Soil Type
Alkaline, saline soil (pH 7.0–8.5)
Soil Drainage
Well-draining soil (improve drainage with organic matter)
Soil pH
7.0–8.5 (slightly alkaline)
Bloom Color
Green
Bloom Time
Summer
Foliage Color
Greyish-green
Fall Foliage Color
Greyish-green
Leaf Lifecycle
Other
Growth Rate
Moderate growth rate
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Division, Cuttings
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (With.) Fernald & Weath.
- Publication
- Rhodora 18: 10 (1916)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Poales
- Family
- Poaceae
- Genus
- Puccinellia
Synonyms
Atropis procumbens Glyceria procumbens Panicularia procumbens Poa decussata Poa dura Poa procumbens Poa secunda Pseudosclerochloa rupestris Puccinellia procumbens Festuca procumbens Poa rupestris Sclerochloa procumbens Sclerochloa rupestris Scleropoa procumbens