Saltmeadow Cordgrass

Saltmeadow Cordgrass (Spartina patens)

Report

Photo credit: Marilee Lovit

Management Category

Synonyms

Salt marsh cordgrass

ID Characteristics

Perennial grass in the Poaeceae family and Spartina species. Spartina are the only grass species which can survive in stressful low salt mash environments.

Flowers: Droopy deciduous spikes (0.7 – 1 cm) of reddish flowers arranged in an overlapping fashion.

Stems: Slender and pliant, growing in dense mats up to 1.2 m tall.

Leaves: Light green, inward-rolled, deciduous, and narrow. Leaf size varies greatly: from 1 – 4 mm wide and 10 – 50 cm long.

Roots: Long and wiry.

Seeds: Arise only on one side of flower spikes.

Similar Species

Photo credit: Nisa Karimi, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bugwood.org

Invasive

Dense-flowered cordgrass (Spartina densiflora)
English cordgrass (Spartina anglica)
Smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora)

Saltmeadow cordgrass can be extremely challenging to distinguish from other grass species. Accordingly, we recommend the use of a detailed key for positive identification (please refer to the references section for more links).

Photo credits: Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org

Native

Seashore saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) has rhizomes (fleshy roots) and is shorter (10 – 40 cm).
Seaside plantain (Plantago maritima) is shorter (up to 25 cm tall).
American dunegrass (Leymus mollis, L. arenarius) has thick rhizomes (fleshy roots) and its leaves are slightly hairy on top. Its flowers are also a greenish yellow tone, rather than a reddish one for Saltmeadow cordgrass.
Seaside arrow-grass (Triglochin maritima) has small purple flowers that are clustered along the length of the flowering stem.

Habitat and Origin

Saltmeadow cordgrass is native to the Atlantic Coast of North America and the Gulf coast of the United States.

This salt-tolerant species prefers the upper salt marsh tidal zone, but can also establish in sand dunes and sand flats. It thrives in open and exposed sites and it can tolerate occasional inundations.

How it Spreads

Saltmeadow cordgrass primarily spreads by root fragments called rhizomes. It can also germinate by seed on low sand flats with suitable moisture. When released, seeds can float for up to 26 days and can remain viable until the following spring if they are kept wet and cool.

Saltmeadow cordgrass root fragments and seeds spread primarily by tidal currents, but can also be dispersed by birds, ballast water, dredging, aquaculture and intentional planting for erosion control.

Impacts

Ecological:

Significantly decreases habitat and nursery grounds for birds and fish.
Soil accretion alters hydrology of an area and disrupts tidal drainage patterns, which can increase flooding.
Excludes native vegetation from the high marsh zone, which creates a monoculture.

Economic: