Description
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantae | Magnoliophyta | Liliopsida | Cyperales | Poaceae | Polypogon |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1867 | Established | Stable | Introduced | Boundary Resident | Europe | Eurasia | Shipping(Dry Ballast) |
History of Spread
Polypogon monspeliensis (Rabbitfoot Grass) is native to Eurasia. The first published report we have found is from 'waste places, Hampton Beach NH, VA? and southwards, mostly near the coast' (Gray 1867, 5th edition). This grass's range appears to have expanded greatly in the western U.S: 'east VA to GA., TX and Pacific; casually north to ME and Quebec' (Fernald 1950); 'Ballast and waste places' New Brunswick to GA; OK and TX; west to AK and CA, 'infrequent in East, mostly confined to coastal states, a common weed in the Western States' (Hitchcock and Chase 1950). It has been introduced to South America, South Africa, India, Australia, and Pacific Islands (Cook 1985; Hitchcock and Chase 1950).
In Chesapeake Bay, it was listed with a questionmark (VA?) by Gray (1867), but was reported more definitely from Castle Haven MD, Dorchester County by Shreve et al. (1910) and was apparently widespread on Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay by 1946: 'Frequent in saline soil, from Cape Charles northward to Worcester and Wicomico Counties' (Tatnall 1946). It was reportedly common in 'marsh and pan' at Assategue Island (Higgins et al. 1971). It was abundant at edge of brackish marsh at Blackwater National Wildife Refuge, Dorchester County, MD (Fofonoff personal observation 1996). P. monspeliensis was found on bluffs along Burwell Bay VA, James River (Fernald 1941), and and is now found in many VA tidewater counties (14 of 30 counties).
History References - Cook 1985; Fernald 1941; Fernald 1950; Gray 1867; Gray 1889; Harvill et al. 1992; Higgins et al. 1971; Hitchcock 1935; Hitchcock and Chase 1950; Shreve et al. 1910; Tatnall 1946
Invasion Comments
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 34.0 | 0.0 | 34.0 |
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-eu |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Polypogon monspeliensis (Rabbitfoot Grass) has no reported impacts in the Bay proper, but it has been described as 'a palatable pasture grass for saline soils' (Brown and Brown 1984), and is grazed by wild ponies at Assateague (Hill 1986).
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Polypogon monspeliensis (Rabbitfoot Grass) is described as palatable pasture grass for saline soils (Brown and Brown 1984), but apparently is of little economic importance. Its agricultural use not mentioned by Hitchcock and Chase (1950).
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Polypogon monspeliensis (Rabbitfoot Grass) is locally common at the edge of the upper intertidal in some locations on the Eastern Shore (Brown and Brown 1984; Hill 1986; Klotz 1986; Fofonoff personal observation), and may be a source of food for grazing animals (Hill 1986). It is regarded as an invasive plant threatening native marsh vegetation in southern CA marshes (Kuhne and Zedler 1997).
References- Brown and Brown 1984; Fofonoff personal observation; Hill 1986; Klotz 1986; Kuhne and Zedler 1997
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Polypogon monspeliensis (Rabbitsfoot Grass) is 'probably grazed by the wild ponies' at Assateague (Hill 1986), but the importance of this grass in their diet is not clear.
References- Hill 1986
References
Brown, Melvin L.; Brown, Russell G. (1984) Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, , College Park. Pp.Cook, Christopher D. K. (1985) Range extensions of aquatic vascular plant species, Journal of Aquatic Plant Management 23: 1-6
Fernald, Merritt L. (1941) Another century of additions to the Virginia flora, Rhodora 43: 485-657
Fernald, Merritt L. (1950) Gray's Manual of Botany, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Godfrey, R. K.; Wooten, Jean W. (1979) Aquatic and Wetland Plants of the Southeastern United States: Monocotyledones., In: (Eds.) . , Athens. Pp.
Gray, Asa (1867) A manual of botany of the northern United States., In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gray, Asa (1889) A manual of botany of the northern United States., In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Harvill, A. M.; Bradley, Ted R.; Stevens, Charles E.; Wieboldt, Thomas F.; Ware, Donna M. E.; Ogle, Douglas W.; Ramsey, Gwynn W.; Fleming, Gary P. (1992) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Burkeville, VA. Pp.
Higgins, Elizabeth A. T.; Rappelye, Robert D.; Brown, Russell G. (1971) The flora and ecology of Assateague Island, University of Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin A-17: 1-61
Hill, Steven R. (1986) An annotated checklist of the vascular flora of Assateague Island (Maryland and Virginia), Castanea 51: 265-305
Hitchcock, A. S. (1935) Manual of Grasses of the United States., In: (Eds.) . , Washington, D.C.. Pp.
Hitchcock, A. S.; Chase, Agnes (1950) Manual of Grasses of the United States., In: (Eds.) . , Washington, D.C.. Pp.
Kartesz, John T. (1994) A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland., In: (Eds.) . , Portland OR. Pp.
Klotz, Larry H. (1986) The vascular flora of Wallops Island and Wallops mainland, Virginia, Castanea 51: 306-326
Kuhn, Nathan; Zedler, Joy B. (1997) Differential effects of salinity and soil saturation on native and exotic plants of a coastal salt marsh., Estuaries 20: 391-403
Perkins, Charles E. (1883) Ballast plants in Boston and vicinity, Botanical Gazette 8: 188-190
Reed, Clyde F. (1964) A flora of the chrome and manganese ore piles at Canton, in the port of Baltimore, Maryland and at Newport News, Virginia, with descriptions of genera and species new to the flora of the eastern United States., Phytologia 10: 321-406
Resource Management Inc. (1993) National list of plant species that occur in wetlands., , Minneapolis.. Pp.
Robinson, Benjamin Lincoln; Fernald, Merrit L. (1908) Gray's New Manual of Botany., , New York. Pp.
Shreve, Forrest M.; Chrysler, M. A.; Blodgett, Frederck H.; Besley, F. W. (1910) The Plant Life of Maryland, , Baltmore. Pp.
1995 Introduced plants in Chesapeake Bay, letters and telephone conversations.
Tatnall, Robert R. (1946) Flora of Delaware and the Eastern Shore, , Wilmington. Pp.