An official website of the United States government.

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser’s address (or “location”) bar.

This site is also protected by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate that’s been signed by the U.S. government. The https:// means all transmitted data is encrypted — in other words, any information or browsing history that you provide is transmitted securely.

National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Home / Terrestrial Invasives / Terrestrial Plants / Quackgrass

Quackgrass

View all resources
Quackgrass
Quackgrass, plants in Alaska - Photo by Elizabeth Bella; USDA, Forest Service
Scientific Name: 

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

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)

Common Name: 

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

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)

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.

Images

Google Images - Quackgrass
Google.
Invasive.org - Quackgrass
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Videos

YouTube - Weed of the Week: Quackgrass
Google. Google. YouTube; Ag PhD: Information for Agriculture.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Quackgrass.

Partnership
Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse (AKEPIC): Species Biography - Quackgrass (Feb 7, 2011) (PDF | 141 KB)
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
Integrated Pest Management Prescription: Quackgrass (Nov 2009) (PDF | 290 KB)

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (Washington). Environmental Health.

See also: IPM for Homeowners & Land Managers for more species
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