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Marsh Foxtail

Marsh Foxtail

Alopecurus geniculatus

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How common: Common

Alien species

Marsh Foxtail is a low, soft-looking grass of wet ground. Its knee-bent stems often creep and root at the joints, while the narrow, velvety “foxtail” flower head stands upright. You can see it along pond and lake edges, ditches, wet paths, fields and pastures.

Did you know?

  • The stems often take root at their bent joints, helping the plant spread in soggy ground.
  • Shoots can flush reddish, and the soft flower head may look gray‑green to bluish‑purple.

About the species

Identification

Perennial grass 20–50 cm tall, forming loose tufts. Stems have knee‑like bends; they often lie along the ground, then rise, and may root at the joints. Leaves are narrow (about 2–6 mm), gray‑green; the top leaves are short. Shoots often turn reddish. Flower head 2–7 cm, upright, narrow and dense, soft to the touch, gray‑green to bluish‑purple, with a fine bristle from each tiny flower sticking out beyond the tip. Meadow Foxtail is taller and more upright with a thicker head and does not root at joints. Orange foxtail has shorter bristles that barely reach the tip. Flowers in Finland in June–August.

Plant group

Grasses, sedges and rushes

Habitat

shore

Flowering

Jun–Aug

About the habitat

Grows on very wet, compact ground: pond and lake shores, ditches, excavations, wet tracks, waste ground, farmyards and fields; common on heavy clay and grazed places. Common in southern and western central Finland; rarer in the east and further north, and only occasional in northern Lapland.

Sources

Photo: Peter de Lange, CC0 1.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6159485478

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki versot, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40626

Text: Pinkka: BIO-513 Syventävä putkilokasvituntemus - Abies-Butomus, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40626

Text: Pinkka: Pieni maatalouslajintuntemus - Puuvartiset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40626

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki leviäimet, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40626

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polvipuntarp%C3%A4%C3%A4

See also