CREEPING FOXTAIL - USDA Plants Database - US Department of ...

CREEPING FOXTAIL 

Alopecurus arundinaceus Poir. 

Plant Symbol = ALAR 

Contributed by: USDA NRCS Idaho State Office 

Photo: Lars Hedenäs 

Photo: Swedish 

Museum of Natural 

History 

Alternate Names 

Creeping meadow foxtail, Alopecurus ventricosus 

Uses 

Grazing/livestock/pasture: Creeping foxtail is very 

well suited for pastureland or hayland. Because it 

does not undergo dormancy during the summer, 

creeping foxtail produces high yields of palatable 

forage season long. Plants break winter dormancy 

early in spring, and leaves remain green and palatable 

even during the hottest months. Studies indicate that 

creeping foxtail yields equal or exceed those of other 

comparable grasses. 

Plant Guide 

Creeping foxtail is palatable to all classes of 

livestock. Cattle show preference to creeping foxtail 

over other widely employed pasture grasses. In 

separate studies, cattle preferred creeping foxtail to 

smooth brome (Bromus inermis), reed canarygrass 

(Phalaris arundinaceus) and tall wheatgrass 

(Thinopyrum ponticum). In another study, cattle 

preferred straw from seed production fields of 

creeping foxtail over thickspike wheatgrass (Elymus 

lanceolatus), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum 

smithii), basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus) and others. 

It can be seeded in pure stands or with a legume. 

This species produces numerous aggressive 

underground rhizomes. These contribute to longlived 

stands and an ability to recover quickly from 

grazing. 

Filter fields: Because of creeping foxtail‟s tolerance 

to high levels of fertilizer, particularly nitrogen and 

water, it can be used in filter fields for liquid waste 

disposal. It can also be used in a variety of other 

water settings including sewage treatment, food 

processing and livestock waste removal programs. 

With suitable moisture, creeping foxtail can also be 

used as an excellent silt trap. This species is known to 

tolerate up to six inches of silt per single deposition. 

Erosion control: Creeping foxtail‟s vigorous rhizome 

production (up to 120 cm crown diameter/year) and 

water tolerance make it well suited to erosion control 

and stream bank stabilization. Creeping foxtail can 

tolerate both high water levels and periods of 

drought, it can be used on earthen dams where water 

levels fluctuate. It survives in a broad range of pH, 

making it suitable for mine spoils, saline seeps 

(tolerant to ECs of 12) bogs and acidic roadways. 

Wildlife: All manner of wildlife benefit from the 

forage and cover provided by creeping foxtail. Elk 

and deer eat the succulent forage in the spring and 

fall. The tender spring growth also provides forage 

for geese and other waterfowl. Numerous species of 

birds use the dense growth for cover and nesting 

habitat. Creeping foxtail has been used for plantings 

around ponds, lakes, grassed waterways and other 

waterways. 

Legal Status 

Consult the PLANTS Web site and your State 

Department of Natural Resources for status (e.g. 

Plant Materials 

Plant Fact Sheet/Guide Coordination Page 

National Plant Data Center

threatened or endangered species, state noxious 

status, and wetland indicator values). 

Weediness 

In addition to aggressive rhizomes, creeping foxtail 

proliferates by windborne and waterborne seeds. 

Rapid reproduction can be useful in repairing 

damaged sites; however, creeping foxtail‟s ability to 

spread quickly may create management problems in 

canals, irrigation ditches and other waterways. 

Please consult with your local NRCS Field Office, 

Cooperative Extension Service office, or state natural 

resource or agriculture department regarding this 

species‟ status and use. Weed information is also 

available from the PLANTS Web site. 

Description 

General: Grass Family (Poaceae). Creeping foxtail is 

a large, long-lived, rhizomatous, sod-forming, 

perennial grass introduced from Eurasia. 

Culms are tall (5 to 12 dm) and stout (~8 mm). 

Cauline leaves are numerous, flat and green, mostly 6 

to 8 mm (12), glabrous above and scabrous beneath. 

The membranous ligule is 1 to 5 mm long and is 

rounded to acute. 

The inflorescence is a spike-like, cylindrical panicle, 

typically 4 to 10 cm long and around 8 mm thick, 

turning purplish or black with maturity. It has a very 

similar appearance to the seedheads of timothy, but 

creeping foxtail heads turn the dark colors described 

above with maturity and Timothy seedheads turn a 

brownish – buff color. 

Individual spikelets are single flowered and urnshaped 

(4 to 5 mm long, 1 to 1.5 mm wide). The 

glumes are fused basally and are strongly keeled with 

a ciliate margin, the hairs 1 to 2 mm. Lemmas are 

typically shorter than the glumes and may bear a 

straight to geniculate awn (1 to 2 mm) arising from 

below to slightly above mid-length. Anthers are 

usually purple but are occasionally yellow or orange. 

Anthesis occurs early in the season. Seed maturation 

begins at the top of the inflorescence and proceeds 

downward. Spikelets disarticulate below the glumes 

with the spikelet falling as a single unit. 

Creeping foxtail should not be confused with other 

grass species that share the common name foxtail. 

Creeping foxtail is a close relative of meadow foxtail 

(Alopecurus pratensis) and can be distinguished by 

having broader leaves (8-12 mm vs. 4-8 mm) and a 

dark purplish inflorescence. There are also many 

weedy species that bear the name foxtail, i.e. foxtail 

barley (Hordeum jubatum) and green foxtail (Setaria 

viridis). These may occupy the same habitats as 

creeping foxtail, but bear little or no resemblance. 

Distribution: This species is native to the colder 

regions of Europe and Asia. It ranges naturally from 

the British Isles in the west to Siberia in the east 

going as far south as Turkey and Italy and possibly 

China. 

Records indicate that creeping foxtail was introduced 

into the United States around the end of the 19 th 

century. At the time, it was little used by farmers 

who lacked the specialized equipment to plant and 

harvest its small fluffy seeds. With the advent of 

more advanced machinery in the 1930‟s and 40‟s, it 

became more widely used in forage practices. 

Presently, it is most commonly utilized throughout 

the Pacific Northwest, Intermountain West, Northern 

Great Plain States and western Canada. It is 

projected that creeping foxtail could be used as far 

east as the New England states. 

For more information on distribution, please consult 

the plant profile page for this species on the PLANTS 

Website. 

Adaptation 

Creeping foxtail is adapted to cold temperatures and 

wet conditions. It is extremely winter hardy. It can 

establish and survive in areas where frost-free periods 

average less than 30 days annually. Studies indicate 

creeping foxtail outperforms smooth brome on 

flooded permafrost soils in Alaska. It also grows 

well at a broad range of elevations (500-9000 ft), but 

grows best on middle to high elevation wet to semiwet 

sites. 

This species is well adapted to areas of high moisture 

typically too wet for good production of most forage 

grasses, i.e. brome (Bromus species) and 

orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata) and is a superior 

forage to other semi-wetland grasses, such as tall 

fescue and other wetland grasses, such as reed 

canarygrass, meadow foxtail and timothy. It usually 

occurs in areas receiving more than 18 inches of 

precipitation. It also grows readily along margins of 

ponds, lakes, bogs, ditches and in mountain 

meadows. It can withstand periodic flooding of 60 to 

90 cm for up to 45 days. Some varieties are also 

somewhat drought tolerant, being able to survive in 

areas with widely fluctuating water levels and 

drought during later summer periods.

Creeping foxtail does well in a broad spectrum of 

soils provided there is sufficient available water. It 

can grow in sand, clay, peat and muck. It is 

moderately salt tolerant (up to 12 millimhos/cm) and 

tolerates both moderately acidic soils (pH 5.6 to 6.0) 

and slightly alkaline soils (pH 7.9 to 8.4). 

Establishment 

Creeping foxtail establishment techniques are similar 

to those for other forage grasses. For best results the 

seedbed should be weed free, moist and firmly 

packed. Follow seeding with a light harrowing or 

packing operation. Optimum seeding depth is 1/8 to 

1/4 inch and no deeper than ½ inch. 

Timing depends almost entirely on available 

moisture. Irrigated fields can be seeded in early to 

mid spring or late summer avoiding the hot mid 

summer period. Irrigated fall seedings can be 

successful as late as early to mid-September allowing 

for enough time (6 to 8 weeks) for seedling 

establishment before freezing temperatures. Where 

precipitation is required, seed when soil is moist but 

firm enough or frozen to support seeding equipment. 

Late fall dormant seedings (after October 20 th in most 

areas), winter and very early spring seedings are most 

effective under non-irrigated conditions where seeds 

are not allowed to germinate until spring. 

This species produces very light seed units (750,000 

seeds/lb) which allow for low relative seeding rates 

for adequate stand establishment. It is recommended 

that a minimum seeding rate of 3 to 4 lb/acre is used 

for ease of handling and uniform distribution through 

seeding equipment . This rate provides 51 to 68 

seed/ft 2 . 

It is popular to dilute the seed with inert materials, 

i.e. rice hulls, cracked corn or other cracked grains. 

For rice hulls, cracked wheat or cracked barley, dilute 

3-4 lb/acre seed with 2 bushel/acre dilutor, and set 

the drill to seed the equivalent of 2 bushels of barley 

per acre. For cracked corn reduce dilutor to 1 bushel/ 

acre. 

When seeding with a legume, it is recommended that 

one plant in alternate rows. Studies conducted with 

„Lutana‟ cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer) and 

„Eski‟ sainfoin (Onobrychis viciaefolia) showed 

increases in yield over a four-year period when 

planted in alternate rows. 

Management 

Young seedlings are small and weak. Growth is slow 

for the first 4 to 6 weeks even under irrigated 

conditions. Rhizomes can emerge as early as 8 

weeks. With the emergence of rhizomes, growth is 

rapid. With adequate soil moisture inflorescences 

may develop in mid to late summer, but first year 

plants typically do not produce seedheads, or when 

they do, there is not enough seed for a profitable 

harvest. 

Under non-irrigated conditions, it is not uncommon 

to have difficulty determining stand establishment the 

first growing season. Stand success should not be 

determined until the second or third growing season 

under non-irrigated conditions. 

Applications of commercial fertilizer are not required 

during the establishment period; however, creeping 

foxtail responds very favorably to applications of 50 

to 60 lb/acre actual nitrogen once established. 

Creeping foxtail plants show little response to 

applications of potassium, phosphates and secondary 

elements. 

When planted with a legume, adjust fertilizer rates 

according to desires: For more grass production 

increase nitrogen, for more legume production 

increase phosphorus and potassium. 

Weeds can be controlled using standard herbicide 

practices, although weeds should cause few problems 

with adequate fertilizer. 

Pests and Potential Problems 

Creeping foxtail has historically shown little damage 

from insects and other diseases; however, in some 

years leaf spot diseases have been recorded as a 

problem in Canada. 

Seed and Plant Production 

Seed production practices for creeping foxtail are 

more involved and difficult than those of most other 

forage grasses. Harvest timing is critical for a good 

yield, and seed cleaning requires more time and 

equipment than for most other grass species. 

Stands should be planted in wide-spaced 36 to 48 

inch rows, but rhizomes cause sod binding and row 

closing. This can be overcome by applying high 

levels of nitrogen and aggressive cultivation to 

maintain desired row culture. 

During establishment, apply enough phosphorus for 

three years according to forage production rate. No 

nitrogen should be added until seedlings are 

established, or drill 50 lb/acre of 11-48-0 with the 

seed. Once seedlings are established apply 30 lb/acre 

N for dryland or 60 to 80 lb/acre N for irrigated 

fields.

Nitrogen application in the fall on established fields 

positively influences inflorescence size and number. 

Apply 100 to 150 lb/acre N each year. Studies have 

shown inflorescence production rose as nitrogen 

levels were increased up to 100 lb/acre actual N. 

After 150 lb/acre production tapered off as plants 

used more nitrogen for foliage than seed production. 

Seed yields with 100 lb/acre were as high as 570 

lb/acre while yields of 350 lb/acre were achieved 

when no nitrogen was applied. 

During establishment, enough water should be 

applied to get stands started. The soil surface should 

be kept moist to avoid crusting. In early September 

bring soil moisture up to field capacity. Established 

fields should be irrigated in spring through the boot 

stage. Soil moisture should be kept above 50% field 

capacity. Good soil moisture is necessary during the 

early phase of seed development to prevent moisture 

stress, but do not irrigate during flowering or seed 

ripening. After harvest irrigate to field capacity to 

promote vegetative production. 

Since seed maturation is temperature dependent, 

different regions will be harvested at different times 

of year. For proper timing of harvest, attention must 

be paid to three indicators. (1) 75 percent or more of 

the seeds should be black. (2) 50 percent of the 

inflorescences have begun to shatter at the tip. (3) 75 

percent of the stems are yellow up to 3 to 4 inches 

directly below the inflorescence. These three events 

often occur quickly over a three day period. 

Plants are typically windrowed, dried (3 to 5 days) 

and picked up by a combine. Seed heads shatter 

readily. Hand harvested seeds yielded over 500 

lb/acre while machine harvested fields yielded as 

little as 180 lb/acre. It is recommended that you slow 

the reel speed of both the windrower and combine to 

equal to or slightly higher than ground speed. It is 

also recommended to make these adjustments to the 

combine: (1) slow ground speed to allow more 

separating time; (2) shut off air flow by sealing the 

fan housing or inactivating the fan; (3) remove 

screens following the sieves; (4) adjust concave 

spacing to ¼ inch; (5) adjust cylinder speed to 

approximately 3500 ft/min. (750 to 850 rpm). 

An alternative harvesting method employed by the 

NRCS Bismarck Plant Materials Center and others is 

the use of a seed stripper. For best results ground 

speed should be 1.5 to 2 mph. Tachometer speed can 

be from 1100 to 1800 rpm, and the brush speed 

should be around 425 rpm. 

Typical production is 300 pounds per acre irrigated 

and 150 pounds per acre non-irrigated. Non-irrigated 

seed production is not recommended below 16 inches 

of annual precipitation. 

Seeds should be dried prior to storage at temperatures 

not over 104º F (40º C). Store seed in bins at 12% 

moisture content or sacks (15%). 

A barley debearder can be used to remove the fine 

hairs from the glume keels and to remove stems and 

chaff. The debearder should be run at 500 rpm long 

enough to break down stems. Seeds can then be 

cleaned using a #9 round hole in the top screen, 1/18” 

x ¼” slotted middle screen and a 6 x 36 wire mesh 

bottom screen. The fan should be set to a slow, light 

wind speed (100 to 150 rpm). 

Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and 

area of origin) 

Foundation seed is available through the appropriate 

state Crop Improvement Association or commercial 

sources to grow certified seed. 

‘Garrison’ creeping foxtail (Alopecurus 

arundinaceus) was named and released by the 

Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant 

Materials Center in Bismarck, North Dakota in 1963. 

The original collection was made in 1950 near Max, 

North Dakota where plants were growing on the 

margins of potholes. „Garrison‟ is adapted to cold 

temperature regions where there is abundant water. It 

is especially well suited to higher elevation areas that 

receive 18 inches or more precipitation annually or 

along the margins of ponds, lakes, ditches and other 

waterways. It provides excellent forage for cattle and 

other classes of livestock by producing highly 

palatable leaves throughout the growing season. 

„Garrison‟ has a high moisture tolerance and 

produces vigorous rhizomes making it an excellent 

choice for controlling streambank and shoreline 

erosion. Certified seed is available. 

Breeder and Foundation seed is maintained by the 

Bridger, Montana PMC. 

‘Retain’ creeping foxtail (Alopecurus arundinaceus) 

was selected by the South Dakota Agricultural 

Experiment Station and released in 1979. This is a 

five-clone synthetic single plant selection from 

„Garrison.‟ „Retain‟ is very similar to „Garrison,‟ but 

this cultivar retains seed on the panicle making it 

possible to harvest with a direct cut combine. Like 

„Garrison,‟ it is well adapted to wet areas and is flood 

tolerant. It is highly palatable to livestock. It 

matures early, heading in mid-May.

Breeder and foundation seed are maintained by South 

Dakota State University. Contact for availability. 

Control 

Contact your local agricultural extension specialist or 

county weed specialist to determine the best control 

methods in your area and how to use it safely. 

References 

Alderson, J. & W. C. Sharp 1994. Grass varieties in 

the United States. Agriculture Handbook No. 170. 

USDA, SCS, Washington, DC. 

Cornforth, B. L. St. John & D. G. Ogle. 2001. Seed 

production standards for conservation plants in the 

intermountain west. USDA-NRCS, Boise, ID. ID-TN 

14, Dec. 2001. 15p. 

Hitchcock, A. S. 1935. Manual of the grasses of the 

United States. USDA, Washington DC. 

Ogle, D. G. 1994. Technical Note 9: Salt tolerance of 

plants. USDA-NRCS, Boise, ID. ID-TN 9, Oct. 

1994. 6p. 

Ogle, D. G., L. St. John, M. Stannard & L. 

Holzworth. 2003. Technical Note 24: Grass, grasslike, 

forb, legume, and woody species for the 

intermountain west. USDA-NRCS, Boise, ID. ID-TN 

24, Jan. 2003. 41p. 

Smith, R., D. Cattani, D. Feindel, R. Haas, D. Tober, 

L. Holzworth, M. Majerus, D. Hall & K. Borcher. 

Native Grass Seed Production Manual (Including 

Selected Forbs). USDA-NRCS, Ducks Unlimited 

Canada, the Manitoba Forage Seed Association and 

the University of Manitoba. 

USDA, Soil Conservation Service 1978. „Garrison’ 

Creeping Foxtail. SCS-TP-156. 

USDA, Soil Conservation Service. 1990. Technical 

Note 7: Grass-legume-forb seed dilution with rice 

hulls. USDA-SCS, Boise, ID. ID-TN 7, Oct. 1990. 

5p. 

USDA, NRCS. 2004. The PLANTS Database, 

Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant 

Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. 

Welsh, S. L., N. D. Atwood, S. Goodrich & L. C. 

Higgins. 1993. A Utah Flora. Brigham Young 

University Press, Provo, Utah. 

Images courtesy of “Den Virtuella Floran” used by 

permission of the Swedish Museum of Natural 

History. 

Prepared By: 

Derek J. Tilley, Range Conservationist (Plants) 

USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Aberdeen, 

Idaho 

Dan Ogle, Plant Materials Specialist 

USDA NRCS Idaho State Office, Boise, Idaho 

Loren St. John, Manager 

USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Aberdeen, 

Idaho 

Wayne Duckwitz, Manager 

USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Bismarck, 

North Dakota 

Larry Holzworth, Plant Materials Specialist 

USDA NRCS Montana State Office, Bozeman, 

Montana 

Mark Majerus, Manager 

USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Bridger, 

Montana 

Dwight Tober, Plant Materials Specialist 

USDA NRCS North Dakota State Office, Bismarck, 

North Dakota 

Species Coordinator: 

Larry Holzworth, Plant Materials Specialist 

USDA-NRCS, Montana State Office, Bozeman, 

Montana 

Edited: 03Mar04 djt; 31Mar04 dgo; 7Apr04 lkh; 7Apr04 dat; 

7Apr04 wld; 7Apr04 mem; 30may06jsp 

For more information about this and other plants, please contact 

your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the 

PLANTS Web site or the Plant Materials 

Program Web site 

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