Howell'S Alkaligrass

Description

Puccinellia howellii is perennial bunchgrass, and grows in clumpy monotypic stands of stems up to 60 centimeters tall. The inflorescence is an array of branches a few centimeters long, the lower ones reflexed as the fruit matures. The grass reproduces only by seed, and seed is not produced until the individual is two years old or more.The plants are mostly dormant during warm months when the soil salinity is highest, and the seed germinates during wet seasons when water flow dilutes the salt. The single population of the grass is made up of several thousand individuals, a dominant species of the vegetation in this tiny network of mineral springs. It grows alongside other halophytes such as saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) and seaside arrowgrass (Triglochin maritima).