Alkali Sacaton

alkali sacaton

More info for the term: cover

The degree to which alkali sacaton provides cover for wildlife species has been rated as follows [21]:

UT WY
Pronghorn Poor Fair
Elk Poor Poor
Mule deer Poor Poor
White-tailed deer Poor ----
Small mammals Good Good
Small nongame birds Fair Good
Upland game birds Fair Fair
Waterfowl Fair Poor

More info for the terms: spikelet, warm-season

Alkali sacaton is a native, long-lived, warm-season,
densely tufted perennial bunchgrass ranging from 20 to 40 inches
(50-100 cm) in height. Panicles are nearly half the length of the plant with stiff, slender, widely spreading branches. Spikelets have
1 flower and tend to diverge from the panicles, appearing scattered. Seeds are free from the lemma and fall readily from the spikelet at maturity [10]. The species is a facultative halophyte, having a broad tolerance to
salinity [84,85,86].




Alkali sacaton forms vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae. In a greenhouse study of effects of mycorrhizal inoculation, mean dry mass of inoculated grass plants of this species was significantly greater (p less than 0.001) than dry mass of uninoculated plants after 16 weeks [92].

Alkali sacaton occurs in all western states in the U.S. It is distributed from Missouri, Arkansas, and North Dakota to eastern
Washington and south to California and Texas. Isolated populations occur to the
East. A U.S. distributional map for alkali sacaton appears on the PLANTS database
[82]. In Canada alkali sacaton in southern British Columbia and Alberta [53,79,82]. In Mexico it is reported from as far south as
Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosi [17].

More info for the terms: density, fire frequency, fire occurrence, fire regime, frequency, shrub, stand-replacing fire

Records of fire occurrence in sacaton grasslands are rare. Wright and Bailey [93] associated the fire ecology of alkali sacaton with that of tobosa because the species occur together in southern desert floodplains and are similar in density, coarseness, and structure [93]. Humphrey [36] characterized the vegetation in tobosa floodplains as flammable and sometimes dense enough to carry a fire, but suggests that because of the relatively limited area and sparse surrounding vegetation, floodplain tobosa stands probably burned less frequently than adjoining grasslands and shrublands. Factors contributing to increased fire frequency in sacaton grasslands include a lower water table, less frequent flooding, and the expansion of mesquite and acacia [93].

FIRE REGIMES:

Although not specific to alkali sacaton, Payson and others [56] provide a review of fire in shrublands and grasslands where this species is present. Among these are such widespread vegetation types [27,45]
as Great Basin sagebrush, blackbrush, saltbush-greasewood, creosotebush,
mesquite-acacia savanna, grama-tobosa shrubsteppe, pinyon-juniper, and Trans-Pecos
and Texas savanna. These vegetation types are characterized by mixed or stand-replacing FIRE REGIMES, with varying fire return intervals. 

Fire return intervals for some communities where alkali sacaton occurs are listed
below. Find further fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES".

Community or Ecosystem Dominant Species Fire Return Interval Range (years)
sagebrush steppe Artemisia tridentata/Pseudoroegneria spicata 20-70 [56]
basin big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. tridentata 12-43 [66]
Wyoming big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. wyomingensis 10-70 (40*) [87,94]
saltbush-greasewood Atriplex confertifolia-Sarcobatus vermiculatus
desert grasslands Bouteloua eriopoda and/or Pleuraphis mutica 5-100 
plains grasslands Bouteloua spp.
blue grama-needle-and-thread grass-western wheatgrass Bouteloua gracilis-Hesperostipa comata-Pascopyrum smithii
blue grama-buffalo grass Bouteloua gracilis-Buchloe dactyloides
grama-galleta steppe Bouteloua gracilis-Pleuraphis jamesii
blue grama-tobosa prairie Bouteloua gracilis-Pleuraphis mutica
cheatgrass Bromus tectorum
creosotebush Larrea tridentata
Ceniza shrub Larrea tridentata-Leucophyllum frutescens-Prosopis glandulosa
wheatgrass plains grasslands Pascopyrum smithii
pinyon-juniper Pinus-Juniperus spp. 56]


*mean

More info for the terms: density, prescribed fire, shrubs

In a 1982 summary of fire in the southern desert grasslands and shrublands, Wright and Bailey [94]
conclude that if rangelands are in good condition, fire can be used as an effective management tool
to reduce some shrubs and small trees during wet weather cycles. Fire probably has the greatest value for managing tobosa, big sacaton, alkali sacaton, and mixed grama ranges [13,94].
According to Wright and Bailey [94], sacaton communities are similar in
density, coarseness, and structure to tobosagrass; Payson and others [58]
indicate that prescribed fire causes low mortality, improves palatability, and
increases biomass of tobosagrass.

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More info for the term: hemicryptophyte

RAUNKIAER [60] LIFE FORM:




Hemicryptophyte

Alkali sacaton grows in saline and nonsaline soils, sometimes in dense, pure stands.
It has a broad pH and salinity tolerance, and is common in moist alkaline flats [10,12,14,20,23,29,65,72,87]. It adapted to soils containing high sodium chloride concentrations and soils containing mixtures of other salts including
bicarbonate and sulfate compounds [84,85,86]. Ungar [84,85] (and references therein) reported alkali sacaton on sites with soil salinity ranging from 0.003% to 3%, with optimum levels between 0.3% and 0.5%.
This species grows in soil textures ranging from sand to clay, usually with low organic matter [20,82,85]. After establishment, it is tolerant of both drought [85] and inundation by water [75].



Elevations ranges for alkali sacaton are as follows:


Arizona 2,500 to 6,500 ft (760-1,980 m) [36]

Colorado 4,000 to 8,000 ft (1,220-2,440 m) [30]

New Mexico 3,100 to 7,500 ft (950-2,290 m) [59,72]

Utah 2,625 to 7,710 ft (800-2,350 m) [91]

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

More info for the term: cover

SAF COVER TYPES [77]:




239 Pinyon-juniper

242 Mesquite

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

ECOSYSTEMS [28]:




FRES29 Sagebrush

FRES30 Desert shrub

FRES32 Texas savanna

FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe

FRES35 Pinyon-juniper

FRES38 Plains grasslands

FRES39 Prairie

FRES40 Desert grasslands

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the terms: shrub, woodland

KUCHLER [46] PLANT ASSOCIATIONS:




K023 Juniper-pinyon woodland

K038 Great Basin sagebrush

K039 Blackbrush

K040 Saltbush-greasewood

K041 Creosote bush

K044 Creosote bush-tarbush

K046 Desert: vegetation largely lacking

K058 Grama-tobosa shrubsteppe

K059 Trans-Pecos shrub savanna

KO61 Mesquite-acacia savanna

K065 Grama-buffalo grass

K068 Wheatgrass-grama-buffalo grass

K085 Mesquite-buffalo grass

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This species is known to occur in association with the following Rangeland Cover Types (as classified by the Society for Range Management, SRM):

More info for the terms: cover, shrub, vine, woodland

SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES [72]:




401 Basin big sagebrush

403 Wyoming big sagebrush

405 Black sagebrush

412 Juniper-pinyon woodland

414 Salt desert shrub

501 Saltbush-greasewood

502 Grama-galleta

504 Juniper-pinyon pine woodland

505 Grama-tobosa shrub

508 Creosotebush-tarbush

611 Blue grama-buffalo grass

615 Wheatgrass-saltgrass-grama

701 Alkali sacaton-tobosagrass

702 Black grama-alkali sacaton

705 Blue grama-galleta

706 Blue grama-sideoats grama

712 Galleta-alkali sacaton

725 Vine mesquite-alkali sacaton

727 Mesquite-buffalo grass

728 Mesquite-granjeno-acacia

Alkali sacaton is classified as tolerant of, but not resistant to, fire [82,93,94].
Top-killing by fire is probably frequent, and the plants can be killed by severe
fire [78].

More info for the terms: grassland, shrub

Alkali sacaton is a valuable forage species in arid and semiarid
regions. Plants are tolerant to moderate grazing and can produce abundant herbage utilized by livestock and wildlife [10,18,21,56,61,87].



The western saltdesert shrub and grassland communities where alkali sacaton is common support an abundance of mule deer, pronghorn, carnivores, small mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles [10,63].

More info for the terms: codominant, cover, grassland, shrub, shrubs

Because salty soils capable of supporting alkali sacaton are dispersed throughout thousands of acres in the Great Plains and Great Basin regions of the United States and Canada [72], the plants listed below represent only a fraction of
the species associated with alkali sacaton.



Alkali sacaton is common in the Southern Great Plains, where it occurs with numerous other
grasses including tobosa (Pleuraphis mutica), galleta (P. jamesii), black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda), blue grama (B. gracilis), sideoats grama (B. curtipendula), buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), and vine-mesquite (Panicum obtusum). Commonly associated shrubs are winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata), fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens), coldenia (Coldenia
spp.), Bigelow sagebrush (Artemisia bigelovii), and honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa) [72,89].



In the Central and Northern Great Plains, alkali sacaton is reported in habitats characterized by buffalo grass, western wheatgrass, blue grama, sideoats grama, hairy grama (B. hirsuta), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), red threeawn (Aristida purpurea), and saltgrass (Distichlis spicata). Associated shrub species include big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus spp.), black greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus), shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia), and Gardner's saltbush (A. gardneri) [12,48,72].



In the desert shrub and grassland communities that occupy low-lying areas of the Great Basin, alkali sacaton is associated with saltgrass, galleta, Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides), bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides), and basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus). Though vegetation cover is often low in these sites, important shrub species include fourwing saltbush, winterfat, black greasewood, rabbitbrush, Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma), and numerous sagebrush
species including basin big sagebrush (A. t. var. tridentata), Wyoming big
sagebrush (A. t. var. wyomingensis), black sagebrush (A. nova), and budsage (A. spinescens) [10,71,72,74,81].




In the southwestern states and northern Mexico, grasses associated with alkali sacaton may include tobosa, galleta, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, black grama and blue grama. Co-occurring woody species include shadscale, greasewood, winterfat, fourwing saltbush, big sagebrush, broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), creosotebush (Larrea tridentata), tarbush (Flourensia cernua), and mesquite species. Associated succulents include prickly-pear and cholla (Opuntia
spp.) and yucca (Yucca spp.) [46,72,73,88].



Publications listing alkali sacaton as a community dominant or codominant are listed below.


Arizona [31]

Colorado [7]

Montana [64]

New Mexico [24,25,72]

Texas [72]

More info for the term: graminoid

Graminoid

More info for the terms: competition, reclamation

Alkali sacaton is notable for its tolerance to alkaline soil, drought, flooding, moderate grazing, and mining disturbance. It is an important forage species in many areas, particularly the
Southwest. Stands of this grass stabilize eroding soil [2,4,10,17,18,66]. Numerous ecotypes, accessions, and cultivars of alkali sacaton have been evaluated [17,20,22,32,59]. Discussion about the reclamation potential of this species can be found in
"Value for Rehabilitation of Disturbed Sites" above.



Historical research in central California and the arid Southwest indicates that alkali sacaton grasslands were once much more abundant than they are today. Pure stands of alkali
sacaton grew on playas, floodplains, hills, and terraces. Today the species is found growing only on playas and low alluvial floodplains where water and excessive concentrations of
soluble salts, exchangeable sodium, or both, accumulate. The decline is attributed to overgrazing, competition from other salt-adapted plant species, and human population pressure [6,17,18,20].

In a New Mexico study, protein content in alkali sacaton ranged from 4.2% in January to 8.7% in October. Calcium content ranged from 0.26% to 0.56%. Phosphorus content ranged from 0.04% to
0.17% [56]. Koostra and others [45] detected levels of in-vitro digestible dry matter in alkali sacaton ranging from 25% to 37%.

AZ AR CA ID IA
KS MO MT NE NV
NM ND OK OR SD
TX UT WA WY


BC AB


MEXICO

Species in the genus Sporobolus, probably including alkali sacaton, were used by Native Americans in California for basketry and weaving [6].

The palatability of alkali sacaton has been rated as follows [21]:




CO MT UT WY
Cattle Good Good Good Good
Domestic sheep Good Good Fair Good
Horses Good Good Fair Good
Pronghorn ---- Poor Fair Poor
Elk ---- Poor Fair Fair
Mule deer ---- Poor Fair Poor
White-tailed deer ---- ---- Poor ----
Small mammals ---- ---- Good Fair
Small nongame birds ---- ---- Fair Fair
Upland game birds ---- ---- Fair Fair
Waterfowl ---- ---- Fair Poor

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: warm-season

Alkali sacaton is a warm-season grass. It blooms from July to August in the
Northwest [35], from June to October in the Great Plains [29],
and from April to May in the Southwest [55].  Seeds are produced from
late summer to October. They usually germinate in July after a 9-month
afterripening period [3]. 

More info for the terms: basal area, forbs

The recovery time of alkali sacaton following fire has been reported as 2 to 4 years. In an Arizona study alkali sacaton
basal area recovered
in 2 postfire years, although only 54% of plant height was recovered in that time. The effect of fires in the 1st postfire growing season was to decrease
height and basal area of alkali sacaton while stimulating growth of other grasses and forbs. Summer fires had a more
pronounced effect on alkali sacaton than winter fires [11,93,94].

More info for the term: ground residual colonizer

POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY [76]:




Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)

More info for the term: seed

Alkali sacaton reproduces from seeds and tillers. Seed production is
abundant, and seeds remain viable for many years [10]. Seedcoats need not be scarified, but seeds must undergo an afterripening period
of several months for good germination. Water movement in floodplains disperses seeds, some
of which are deposited in saturated sediments where they later germinate
[3].



The effects of moisture stress on germination were studied in the
Rio Puerco Watershed near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The study
showed that alkali sacaton is more severely affected by moisture stress
than galleta and blue grama. This supports observations that alkali sacaton is restricted to frequently flooded sites, while galleta and blue grama can establish on drier sites [44]. Germination percentages decrease with increasing salt increments. Soils rich in magnesium and low in calcium inhibit germination [38,85].



Alkali sacaton seed germinates best between
temperatures of 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit (27 and 32 oC) [2,3,43]. Minimum germination temperature was measured at 54 degrees Fahrenheit (12 oC)[40].

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS [8]:




3 Southern Pacific Border

5 Columbia Plateau

6 Upper Basin and Range

7 Lower Basin and Range

8 Northern Rocky Mountains

9 Middle Rocky Mountains

10 Wyoming Basin

11 Southern Rocky Mountains

12 Colorado Plateau

13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont

14 Great Plains

15 Black Hills Uplift

16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands

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More info for the terms: marsh, series, succession

Alkali sacaton is intolerant of shade [82]. It is commonly found as a primary or secondary invader
on saline soils.
It invades saline flats directly or follows a stage where "succulents" are dominant. In successional series on marsh borders, alkali sacaton represents the vegetation stage just prior to prairie, possibly playing a part in a cycle involving periods of decreased and increased salinity. With decreased salinity
its dense root system produces hummocks. As succession proceeds, prairie species invade the hummocks
[85]. 



A study of succession following lowered water tables caused by groundwater pumping in the Owens Valley
of California found
alkali meadow (dominated by alkali sacaton and saltgrass) was followed by either
Nevada saltbush-meadow or rubber rabbitbrush
(Chrysothamnus nauseosus)-meadow [51].

The accepted scientific name of alkali sacaton is Sporobolus airoides
(Torr.) Torr. (Poaceae) [34,41,91]. Alkali sacaton probably hybridizes and
intergrades with big sacaton (S. wrightii). Some
authorities include S. wrightii as a variety of alkali sacaton: S.
airoides var. wrightii (Munro ex Scribn.) Gould [19,91].

More info for the terms: cover, reclamation, seed, shrub

Alkali sacaton is 1 of the most commonly used species for
seeding and stabilizing disturbed lands in the
semiarid Southwest [3,5,26,57,61]. Due to its salt tolerance, it was
recommended for native grass seeding on subirrigated saline sites in
mixtures with western wheatgrass and switchgrass
(Panicum virgatum) [79]. It is planted in riparian zones in major plant
communities in the Intermountain region [54]. It was found superior to western
wheatgrass for seeding in the drier climates of the southern and
northern desert shrub types [3,47,52]. Alkali sacaton has been used in reclamation seedings on sagebrush-grasslands, pinyon-juniper communities, and shadscale saltbrush,
blackbrush, and saltgrass ranges [47,76].



Alkali sacaton has shown promise as a remediation species on oil well reserve pits [53] and saline waste from coal-fired electrical generating stations [66]. Retana and others [62] determined that alkali sacaton has the potential to remove selenium from contaminated soil by accumulating it in shoot biomass. In a greenhouse study, Fuller and others [27] found that soil amendment with sewage sludge improved growth of alkali sacaton in bauxite residues.



Alkali sacaton can provide abundant leafy ground cover. Establishment of seedlings
is difficult without frequent irrigation. Once established, plants need
little maintenance. They tolerate drought and perform well in the 12 to
18 inch (200-460 mm) mean annual precipitation zone or, with
occasional irrigation, in areas of less precipitation [22,32,49,59,80,90]. Cox and others [17] asserted that a "waving sea" of alkali sacaton
could not be maintained where
mean annual precipitation is only 6 to 16 inches (150-400 mm).



Aldon [2] developed the following guidelines for establishing alkali sacaton from seed on harsh sites:

• 
  

  Plant when soil moisture is at least 14% or higher



• 
  

  Plant when probabilities for weekly precipitation are greatest and soil temperatures will be near 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 oC)



• 
  

  Use large seeds at least 1 year old



• 
  

  Saturate the planting site just prior to planting



• 
  

  Cover seed with about 1/2 inch (13 mm) of mulch to keep conditions moist and dark



• 
  

  If rainwater does not deposit at least 6 mm of rain within the first 5 days, rewater to bring the soil to saturation

A seed-storage study in Utah reported 99% germination
in alkali sacaton seeds that were stored in an open, unheated, uncooled
warehouse for 7 years.

Sporobolus tharpii Hitchc. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 41: 161
1928.
Perennial; culms densely cespitose, glabrous, 1-noded, 60-100 cm. tall; sheaths glabrous, overlapping on the lower half of the culm, the lower firm, loose, shining; ligule very short, ciliate-erose; blades elongate, involute, slender, flexuous, glabrous, long-ciliate at base, tapering to a long fine point ; panicle open, narrow, as much as 30 cm. long, the axis glabrous, the branches stiffly ascending, solitary or in twos, glabrous in the axils, the lower as much as 15 cm. long; spikelets appressed along the branches and branchlets, about 3 mm. long, longer than the pedicels; first glume narrow, acuminate, about half as long as the spikelet, the second glume, lemma, and palea about equal.
Type locality: Padre Island, Texas {Tharp 4772). Distribution: Known only from Padre Island, southern Texas.

Sporobolus airoides (Torr.) Torr. Pacif. R. R. Rep 7 3 : 21. 1858.
Agrostis airoides Torr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. 1: 151. 1824.
Vilfa airoides Trin.; Steud. Nom. Bot. ed. 2. 2: 766. 1841. (Based on Agrostis airoides Torr.) Sporobolus diffusissimus Buckl. Proc. Acad. Phila. 1862: 90. 1863. (Type from western Texas.) Sporobolus allissimus Vasey; Brand. Proc. Calif. Acad. II. 2: 212. 1889. (Type from San Diego,
California.) S porobolus altissimus var. minor Vasey; Brand. Proc. Calif. Acad. II. 2: 213. 1889. (Type from San
Enrique, California.)
Perennial, in large tough bunches; culms erect to spreading, glabrous, 2-3-noded, 50-100 cm. tall; sheaths strongly pilose at the throat; ligule very short; blades elongate, flat, soon becoming involute, often flexuous, scabrous on the upper surface and on the long fine point, pilose just above the base, glabrous beneath, usually less than 4 mm. wide; panicles nearly half the length of the entire height of the plant, at maturity half or two thirds as wide, the axis glabrous, the stiff slender branches and branchlets finally widely spreading, naked at base and in the axils, somewhat distant on the axis; spikelets 2-2.5 mm. long, aggregate along the upper half or two thirds of the branchlets; first glume about half as long as the spikelet, commonly falling towards maturity; second glume, lemma and palea about equal, the palea splitting as the grain ripens.
Type locality: Branches of the Arkansas River near the Rocky Mountains {James). Distribution: Meadows and valleys, especially in moderately alkaline soil. South Dakota to eastern Washington, and southward to Texas and northern Mexico.

Perennials, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems erect or ascending, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stem internodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems with inflorescence 1-2 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly cauline, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous, Leaf sheath hairy at summit, throat, or collar, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf blades linear, Leaf blades 2-10 mm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blade margins folded, involute, or conduplicate, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Leaf blades more or less hairy, Ligule present, Ligule a fringe of hairs, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence an open panicle, openly paniculate, branches spreading, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spike, fascicle, glomerule, head, or cluster per stem or culm, Inflorescence branches more than 10 to numerous, Flowers bisexual, Spikelets pedicellate, Spikelets laterally compressed, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 1 fertile floret, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating above the glumes, glumes persistent, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes distinctly unequal, Glumes shorter than adjacent lemma, Glumes 1 nerved, Lemmas thin, chartaceous, hyaline, cartilaginous, or membranous, Lemma similar in texture to glumes, Lemma 1 nerved, Lemma glabrous, L emma apex acute or acuminate, Lemma awnless, Lemma straight, Palea present, well developed, Palea membranous, hyaline, Palea about equal to lemma, Palea 2 nerved or 2 keeled, Stamens 3, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis, Caryopsis ellipsoid, longitudinally grooved, hilum long-linear.

Sporobolus airoides is a species of grass known by the common name alkali sacaton. It is native to western North America, including the Western United States west of the Mississippi River, British Columbia and Alberta in Canada, and northern and central Mexico. It grows in many types of habitat, often in alkali soils, such as in California desert regions.