Native Plant Database

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Inflorescence: Panicle
Fruit Type: Caryopsis , Legume
Leaf: Green
Flower:
Fruit:
Size Class: 0-1 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct

Distribution

USA: AL , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DE , FL , GA , HI , IA , ID , IL , KS , LA , MA , MD , ME , MN , MO , MS , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NV , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , RI , SC , SD , TX , UT , VA , WA , WI , WY
Canada: NB , NS , PE
Native Distribution: Sask. to e. WA, s. to TX & CA
Native Habitat: Alkali flats; saline marshes
USDA Native Status: L48(N), HI(I), CAN(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Wet
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Wet, saline or alkaline soils.
Conditions Comments: This species is useful for revegetating unusually saline, interior areas. Its extensive, creeping rhizomes enable it to colonize an area quickly. The grass adapts to drier soils including silts, clays, and even sands.

Benefit

Use Food: Native Americans obtained salt by eating globules adhering to saltgrass stems.
Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Larval Host: Sandhill Skipper (Polites sabuleti)

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Distichlis spicata is a larval host and/or nectar source for:

Alkali Skipper (Pseudocopaeodes eunus) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA

Salt Marsh Skipper (Panoquina panoquin) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA

Wandering Skipper (Panoquina errans) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA

Sandhill Skipper (Polites sabuleti) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Description: Seed germination is limited.
Seed Collection: Not Available
Seed Treatment: Highest germination seems to come with 50 degree night and 105 degree day temperature regimes.
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

Mr. Smarty Plants says

When to plant grasses on Long Island, NY
December 06, 2009
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants; Are there any grass seeds that I can plant NOW, early December, on Long Island, NY? The planting environment is on and near a sandy bluff on a bayshore, where it can be windy ...
view the full question and answer

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Bibliography

Bibref 1186 - Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.
Bibref 1185 - Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright
Bibref 1218 - Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources (2006) Anderson, M. Kat

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Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Distichlis spicata in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Distichlis spicata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Distichlis spicata