Creeping quackgrass is a cool-season perennial with extensive creeping
rhizomes. The culms are 5-11 dm, hollow, erect to decumbent. The flat
leaves are conspicuously auriculate and often hairy on the upper surface.
Leaf sheaths are glabrous to hairy. The inflorescence is a slender spike
4 - 26 cm long made up of numerous 3-5 flowered spikelets. Some plants
may have awned lemnas, 5-7 mm.
Interesting facts
Quackgrass propagates mainly by rhizomes which can grow 2 feet or more
from the main shoot before sending out new stems. It invades gardens,
yards, crop fields, ditch banks and other relatively moist places. It
can tolerate some saline conditions.
Quackgrass can become an early successional dominant species in disturbed
areas. Once established it is difficult to eradicate due to its perennation
by rhizomes.