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Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Graminoid
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator	OBL
Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring
After Harvest Regrowth Rate	Slow
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	Green
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Moderate
Foliage Porosity Winter	Porous
Foliage Texture	Fine
Fruit/Seed Color	Red
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Rhizomatous
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)
Height, Mature (feet)	5.7
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Short
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	No
Shape and Orientation	Semi-Erect
Toxicity	None
Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	High
CaCO3 Tolerance	Medium
Cold Stratification Required	No
Drought Tolerance	Low
Fertility Requirement	Medium
Fire Tolerance	Low
Frost Free Days, Minimum	100
Hedge Tolerance	None
Moisture Use	Medium
pH, Minimum	4
pH, Maximum	8
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum	3475
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum	7856
Precipitation, Minimum	10
Precipitation, Maximum	60
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	4
Salinity Tolerance	None
Shade Tolerance	Tolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	-35
Reproduction
Bloom Period	Early Summer
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	Medium
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Spring
Fruit/Seed Period End	Fall
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	No
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	No
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	No
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	Yes
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound
Seed Spread Rate	Moderate
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	Slow
Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal	Low
Palatable Graze Animal	High
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Medium
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

 

Kingdom  Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom  Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision  Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division  Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class  Liliopsida -- Monocotyledons

Subclass  Commelinidae

Order  Cyperales

Family  Poaceae -- Grass family

Genus  Glyceria R. Br. -- mannagrass P

Species  Glyceria striata (Lam.) A.S. Hitchc. -- fowl mannagrass P

 

SYNONYM INFORMATION

 

Alternate Names

Another common name is fowl mannagrass.  It is now classified as the same species as the more widely occurring Glyceria striata which has similar common names.

 

Uses

Tall mannagrass is a rapidly establishing native species suitable for restoration of swamps, the edges of marshes, ponds, and streams, and other wetland plant communities where an herbaceous understory is desired.   It has versatility for use along creeks and ditch bottoms where exposure may vary from full sun to dense shade, thereby improving soil stability beyond the use of woody plants alone.  Where this species dominates, herbage production is high.  Palatability of G. striata is rated good to very good for cattle and horses which consume both flower stems and leaves.  It is rated fair to good for sheep which tend to use only the leaves.  The seed is food for waterfowl and birds while the foliage and tall stems provide good wildlife cover.  Foliage is seasonally grazed at a light to heavy rate by deer, muskrat, and bears.  Elk can make minor use of it as well.  Tall mannagrass may be applicable to seeding mixtures targeted to improve species richness and exclude reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) prior to its invasion.  It is occasionally planted as an ornamental in and around backyard ponds.

 

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

 

Description and Adaptation

In the Pacific Northwest, tall mannagrass is a long lived, cool season perennial bunchgrass with somewhat succulent stems (culms) that reach a height of 100 to 180 cm.  The form is erect, robust, and clumpy despite the production of slow growing rhizomes or underground stems.  Rate of spread may vary among populations.  Leaf blades are soft, ribbon-like, 6 to 12 mm wide and 15 to 25 cm long.  The flowerhead (panicle) is loose, broad, pyramid-like, and 8 to 27 cm long with spreading and drooping branches.   Populations previously described for G. striata include plants that are shorter and tougher with smaller leaves (2 to 5 mm wide) and flower heads that are more closed.  G. elata was primarily confined to the western states, but as G. striata, it occurs across most of North America.

 

Key to identification: Physical differences described between tall mannagrass and G. striata are inconsequential because they are now listed as the same species.  Tall mannagrass can be easily confused with reed mannagrass (Glyceria grandis) which has smoother leaves and lack its slightly rough texture.  Others mannagrasses are easier to distinguish, but a botanical key should be consulted. 

 

Relative abundance in the wild: Seed ripens in July or August and retention within the flower head is fair to good.  Collections can be readily made along wet forest road ditches, but access can be difficult along streams or in denser, swampy brush where this species is commonly found.

 

Adaptation: Tall mannagrass widely occurs in bogs, seeps, wet woods, thickets or swampy areas, shaded ditches, and along or in streams.  It may occasionally be found growing in full sun on summer damp soils as well as in standing water.  Reportedly, this species is best adapted to freshwater, semi-aquatic habitats (G. elata) or those that are irregularly to seasonally flooded and saturated for up to 25 percent of the growing season (G. striata).  However, local plants have thrived and flowered under continuous inundation (1-10 cm) for several years.  Tall mannagrass tolerates open areas but prefers shady habitats.  It may occur as single plants, small colonies, or larger stands that dominate the understory of ash swales as well as willow, aspen, and other wetland forest or shrub communities.  Soils range from organic to mineral with a pH of 4 (acidic) to 8 (slightly alkaline).  This species does not tolerate salinity and needs moderately good fertility.  This species is very shade tolerant, similar to reed mannagrass, yet it can be grown in full sun to produce substantial seed.

 

Establishment

The presence of seed dormancy, if any, may vary among populations.  Seeds can germinate within 2 to 3 weeks without treatment but   14 to 30 days of cold moist stratification (moist pre-chilling) has resulted in faster but not necessarily higher germination rates.  Others report the need for 150 days of stratification in cold water.  Fall sowing is preferred if dormancy is known or uncertain.  Seed hulls readily detach but removal is unnecessary.  There are approximately 1,600,000 seeds per pound with hulls intact.  A seeding rate of 1lb pure live seed

per acre will result is about 37 live seeds per square foot.  Seeding rates depend on methods used, objectives, and site conditions.

 

Management

Management considerations for utilization of G. striata by livestock may predictably apply to tall mannagrass.   Sites where it occurs are typically too wet for grazing when the herbage is most succulent. Therefore, access must be deferred until late in the season when soils are drier and quality has declined somewhat. Tolerance to fire and heavy grazing is not well documented.   Tall mannagrass can be grown for seed on upland sites with medium to fine textured soils if regular irrigation is applied in summer and fall.

 

Environmental Concerns

Some strains or populations of G. striata may contain cynogenetic compounds.  Cyanide poisoning from it as well as reed mannagrass has been reported in cattle.  Because tall mannagrass is now the same species or closely related, caution is advised for livestock utilization. Likewise, plant diseases that infect G. striata may apply to tall mannagrass.  This includes the fungal pathogens Epichloe glyceriae which causes floral castration and Ustilago striiformis, better known as stripe smut.  Fungicides may be needed for control.  Consult with your local Extension Service agent, plant disease control handbook, or other experts for advice.  Other species of mannagrass are described as weedy in certain crops or wet areas, but concerns for tall mannagrass are not widely known.

 

Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

Seed sources and plants are regularly available throughout much of the species natural range within the United States.

 

Prepared By:

Dale Darris, USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

 

Species Coordinator:

Dale Darris, USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

 

Edited: 21mar2006 jsp

 

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>

 

 

 

Attribution:  U.S. Department of Agriculture