Quack Grass is a perennial weed that reproduces through seed and its excessive whitish or yellowish
rhizomes that end in sharp points. Leaves are at and pointed.
Scattered along roadsides in Southern Yukon.
Quack Grass has spreading roots. The only other wild rye with spreading roots is Sand-dune Wild Rye (Elymus lanceolatus ssp. psammophilus) which has hairy seeds and ower bracts.
It forms extensive rhizomes that compete strongly for water and nutrients
with cultivated crops and native grasses. It can also hinder the regeneration of native woody species when it forms dense mats.
Perennial plants require depletion of nutrient reserves in the root system, prevention of seed production and prevention of dispersal. Small fragments of rhizomes can regenerate, making Quack Grass extremely dif cult to control mechanically. Quack Grass should not be planted in seeding projects.