Elymus repens

History of Spread

Elymus repens (Quackgrass) is a Eurasian grass of disturbed areas which was probably an early introduction to North America (Dore and McNeill 1980). Fernald (1950) described it as 'seeming indigenous with us on gravelly and sandy shores', but behaving as an aggressive weed in agricultural settings. Most authorities regard it as an introduction to North America (Brown and Brown 1984; Dore and McNeill 1980; Hitchcock and Chase 1950). Torrey (1826) found it to be widespread in northeastern North America. By 1848, it was described as 'naturalized and troublesome in fields &c. ... Also wild northwards' (Gray 1848). . Elymus repens is now widespread in southern Canada and the U.S. but is absent from the southeast (GA-LA), and seems to be favored by cooler climates (Hitchcock and Chase 1950; Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001). This grass is common on upper parts of beaches and salt marshes in northern New England and Atlantic Canada (Fernald 1950).

In the Chesapeake Bay region, Elymus repens was first reported from 'riverbanks' in the vicinity of Baltimore (Aikin 1837). E. repens is known as a widespread agricultural weed in MD, (Brown and Brown 1984). In VA, this grass is continuously distributed in the northern Piedmont and Mountain regions, but occurs spottily in the Coastal Plain and southern highlands (Harvill et al. 1992). The only clear record of A. repens from tidal wetlands is in Henrico County VA, near the head of the James River estuary, from a 1985 survey (Atkinson et al. 1990).

References- Aikin 1837; Atkinson et al. 1990; Brown and Brown 1984; Dore and McNeill 1980; Fernald 1950; Harvill et al. 1992; Hitchcock and Chase 1950; Hitchcock and Chase 1950; Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001; Torrey 1826

Invasion Comments