Quackgrass

Scientific Name

Elymus repens (L.) Gould subsp. repens (ITIS)

Common Name

Quackgrass, medusa's head, Quackgrass rye, Quackgrass grass

Synonym

Agropyron firmum J. Presl, Agropyron repens (L.) P. Beauv., Elytrigia repens (L.) Desv. ex Nevski, Triticum firmum (J. Presl) Link, Triticum repens L. (GRIN)

Native To

Eurasia (Klein 2011)

Date of U.S. Introduction

1600s (Klein 2011)

Means of Introduction

Accidental, probably as a seed contaminant (Klein 2011; Werner and Rioux 1977)

Impact

Crowds out native species and cultivated crops (Klein 2011)

Quackgrass, plants in Alaska

Credit

Photo by Elizabeth Bella; USDA, Forest Service

Source

Invasive.org.

Find more images

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Quackgrass
- University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
- Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.

Videos

YouTube - Quackgrass (Elymus repens)
- Google. YouTube; Brigham Young University-Idaho. Applied Plant Science Department.

All Resources

View and Filter All Quackgrass Resources

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Partnership

Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse (AKEPIC): Species Biography - Quackgrass [PDF, 141 KB]
- Feb 7, 2011
- University of Alaska - Anchorage. Alaska Center for Conservation Science.
- See also: Non-Native Plant Species List for additional factsheets (species biographies) and species risk assessment reports of non-native species present in Alaska and also non-native species currently not recorded in Alaska (potential invasives)
Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S. - Fact Sheet: Elytrigia repens
- USDA. APHIS. PPQ. Center for Plant Health Science and Technology; California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Quackgrass
- University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Elymus repens
- CAB International.
TISI Inventory - Quackgrass
- Texas State University System. Texas Invasive Species Institute.

Federal Government

Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Elymus repens
- USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.
National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System (NEMESIS): Chesapeake Bay Introduced Species Database - Elymus repens
- Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Marine Invasions Research Lab.
PLANTS Database - Quackgrass
- USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Elymus repens
- USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

International Government

Quackgrass
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (Canada).

State and Local Government

Encycloweedia: Data Sheet - Quackgrass
- California Department of Food and Agriculture.
- See also: Included on California's noxious weed list; see Encycloweedia: Program Details for additional resources
Noxious Weed Species - Quackgrass
- Colorado Department of Agriculture. Conservation Services Division. Noxious Weed Program.
Quackgrass (Elytrigia repens) Control Methods in Organic Agriculture [PDF, 1.28 MB]
- Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
- See also: Weeds - Quackgrass for more species resources

Academic

Insects, Pests, and Diseases - Quackgrass Management: An Integrated Approach
- Pennsylvania State University. Cooperative Extension.
Ohio Perennial & Biennial Weed Guide - Quackgrass
- Ohio State University. Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.
Quackgrass Management on Organic Farms [PDF, 347 KB]
- University of Maine. Sustainable Agriculture Program.
- See also: For Farmers for more resources

Citations

GRIN-Global. Elymus repens subsp. repens. USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. U.S. National Plant Germplasm System. [Accessed Sep 22, 2023].
Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Elymus repens. [Accessed Sep 22, 2023].
Klein, H. 2011. Quackgrass [PDF, 141 KB]. University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse.
Werner, P.A., and R. Rioux. 1977. The biology of Canadian weeds. 24. Agropyron repens (L.) Beauv. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 57(3):905-919.

Find more images

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Quackgrass

Videos

YouTube - Quackgrass (Elymus repens)

All Resources

Selected Resources

Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse (AKEPIC): Species Biography - Quackgrass [PDF, 141 KB]

Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S. - Fact Sheet: Elytrigia repens

Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Quackgrass

Invasive Species Compendium - Elymus repens

TISI Inventory - Quackgrass

Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Elymus repens

National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System (NEMESIS): Chesapeake Bay Introduced Species Database - Elymus repens

PLANTS Database - Quackgrass

U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Elymus repens

Quackgrass

Encycloweedia: Data Sheet - Quackgrass

Noxious Weed Species - Quackgrass

Quackgrass (Elytrigia repens) Control Methods in Organic Agriculture [PDF, 1.28 MB]

Insects, Pests, and Diseases - Quackgrass Management: An Integrated Approach

Ohio Perennial & Biennial Weed Guide - Quackgrass

Quackgrass Management on Organic Farms [PDF, 347 KB]