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You are here: Home / Plant Profile

Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene
saltgrass



General Information
Symbol: DISP
Group: Monocot
Family: Poaceae
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Graminoid
Native Status: CAN   N
HI   I
L48   N
Characteristics
Fact Sheet (pdf) (doc)
Plant Guide (pdf) (doc)
Data Source and Documentation
About our new maps
Plants-NRCS Logos
green round image for nativity Native blue round image for introduced Introduced ocre round image for introduced and nativity Both white round image for no status Absent/Unreported
image for native, but no county data Native, No County Data image for introduced, but no county data Introduced, No County Data both introduced and native, but no county data Both, No County Data
Native Status:
lower 48 status L48    Alaska status AK    Hawaii status HI    Puerto Rico status PR    Virgin Islands status VI    Navassa Island NAV    Canada status CAN    Greenland status GL    Saint Pierre and Michelon status SPM    North America NA   

Images

click on a thumbnail to view an image, or see all the Distichlis thumbnails at the Plants Gallery

Robert H. Mohlenbrock. USDA NRCS. 1995. Northeast wetland flora: Field office guide to plant species. Northeast National Technical Center, Chester. Provided by USDA NRCS Wetland Science Institute (WSI). Usage Requirements.

Sheri Hagwood. USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM). United States, ID, Bureau of Land Management Jarbidge Resource Area. July 15, 2005. Usage Requirements.

Sheri Hagwood. USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM). United States, ID, Bureau of Land Management Jarbidge Resource Area. July 15, 2005. Usage Requirements.

Sheri Hagwood. USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM). United States, ID, Bureau of Land Management Jarbidge Resource Area. July 15, 2005. Usage Requirements.

Robert H. Mohlenbrock. USDA NRCS. 1992. Western wetland flora: Field office guide to plant species. West Region, Sacramento. Provided by USDA NRCS Wetland Science Institute (WSI). Usage Requirements.

Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 1: 250. Provided by Kentucky Native Plant Society. Scanned by Omnitek Inc. Usage Requirements.

Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States. USDA Miscellaneous Publication No. 200. Washington, DC. 1950. Usage Requirements.

Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States. USDA Miscellaneous Publication No. 200. Washington, DC. 1950. Usage Requirements.

slideshow

Synonyms

Symbol Scientific Name
DISPS4 Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene ssp. stricta (Torr.) Thorne
DISPB Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene var. borealis (J. Presl) Beetle
DISPD Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene var. divaricata Beetle
DISPN Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene var. nana Beetle
DISPS Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene var. stolonifera Beetle
DISPS2 Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene var. stricta (Torr.) Scribn.
DIST3 Distichlis stricta (Torr.) Rydb.
DISTD Distichlis stricta (Torr.) Rydb. var. dentata (Rydb.) C.L. Hitchc.
UNSP2 Uniola spicata L.

Classification

Click on a scientific name below to expand it in the PLANTS Classification Report.
Rank Scientific Name and Common Name
Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
Subclass Commelinidae
Order Cyperales
Family Poaceae ⁄ Gramineae – Grass family
Genus Distichlis Raf. – saltgrass
Species Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene – saltgrass

Subordinate Taxa

This plant has no children

Legal Status

Threatened and Endangered Information:
This plant is listed by the U.S. federal government or a state. Common names are from state and federal lists. Click on a place name to get a complete protected plant list for that location.
Pennsylvania
sea-shore salt-grass
Extirpated
U.S. Weed Information
Distichlis spicata
desert saltgrass
inland saltgrass
marsh spikegrass
saltgrass
seashore saltgrass
This plant can be weedy or invasive according to the authoritative sources noted below.This plant may be known by one or more common names in different places, and some are listed above. Click on an acronym to view each weed list, or click here for a composite list of Weeds of the U.S.
NE&GP Stubbendieck, J., G.Y. Friisoe,and M.R. Bolick. 1994. Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains. Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry. Lincoln, Nebraska.
WSWS Whitson, T.D. (ed.) et al.. 1996. Weeds of the West. Western Society of Weed Science in cooperation with Cooperative Extension Services, University of Wyoming. Laramie, Wyoming.

Wetland Status

Interpreting Wetland Status

Top Level Regions
Hawaii FACW
North America
Arid West FAC
Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain OBL
Eastern Mountains and Piedmont FACW
Great Plains FACW
Midwest FACW
Northcentral & Northeast FACW
Western Mountains, Valleys, and Coast FACW

Wildlife

Food

Source Large Mammals Small Mammals Water Birds Terrestrial Birds

Cover

Source Large Mammals Small Mammals Water Birds Terrestrial Birds

Description of Values

Value Class Food Cover

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