Species

Elytrigia pycnantha

Common Name(s)

sea couch

Authority

Elytrigia pycnantha (Godr.)

Family

Poaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

ELYPYC

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Grasses

Habitat

Terrestrial. Coastal on foreshore waste land, consolidated sand near dunes, mudflats and roadsides.

Features

Bluish grey, tufted, rigid perennial grass to about 125 cm tall. Can form large patches from strongly spreading wiry rhiozomes. Leaves glaucous , up to 25 cm long, usually rolled, occasionally flat and up to 7 mm wide, greyish to light brown. Leaves held on erect culms to 25-75 cm tall. Erect spike 5-20 cm tall with spikelets very close-set.

Similar Taxa

Can be separated from E. repens (couch) by the tightly inrolled leaves, and leaves that are rough to the touch.

Year Naturalised

1968

Origin

Western and Southern Europe

Reason For Introduction
Agricultural

Reproduction
Vegetative spread from long running rhizomes. Seed is also produced.

Tolerances
Tolerates salt and very poor soils.

This page last updated on 25 Mar 2010