Spartina alterniflora
smooth cordgrass, saltmarsh cordgrass, salt cordgrass, atlantic cordgrass
Family
Poaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Attachment
sheathing
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Type
simple
Leaf Shape
linear
Growth Form
graminoid, emergent aquatic, aquatic
Flower Color
yellow
Flower Month
April - October
Height (meters)
0.2 - 1.5
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
native
Lifespan
perennial
Wetland Class
OBL
Wetland Coefficient of Conservatism
10
Field Characters
Erect culms to 1.2 m tall that are thick and spongy. Leaf blades folded at tip, Spikelets in 2 rows and often twisted. Its grows in intermediate to saline marsh and forms dense stands. Wide leaf 0.5 inch across, edge rough to touch, back of leaf smooth.
Animal Use
Rhizomes are eaten by muskrats and nutria.
Habitat
Brackish marshes.