This grass, as its name can be found near the tideline and often in saltmarsh areas but it grows inland too. It shows the reflexing of spikelets at maturity but until then they often point "upwards". It often seems to me to be a procumbent grass with flowering spikes growing parallel to the ground as in these two example both from different sites.

The distribution of this plant is distinctly eastern and both in England and in Ireland. It is very common on the east Anglian coast for instance but much less so on the welsh coast. In the north east of Scotland the other sub species is found with it: Puccinellia distans ssp borealis.

LHS Red Rocks, Cheshire 28th June 2005, RHS Lindisfarne 15th July 2006

Added on 17th February 2007, updated 28th July 2011