Spartina alterniflora (Smooth Cordgrass)

Spartina alterniflora (Smooth Cordgrass) is a rhizomatous perennial grass that grows initially in round clumps, eventually forming extensive monoculture meadows. The stiffly erect stems are hollow and hairless. The leaves are 8-20 in. (20-50 cm) long and are often purplish at the base. In summer and fall, densely packed clusters of tan flowers develop. They give way to flattened and smooth fruits with pointed tips. Smooth Cordgrass has a dense rhizome system that binds coastal mud and its sturdy stems decrease wave action allowing silt deposition, causing elevation of the mudbank, and assisting in land reclamation. Smooth cordgrass is an important component of Gulf Coast salt marshes which stabilize shorelines against erosion and filter heavy metals and toxic materials from the water column. As a result, it was widely planted at coastal sites throughout the UK, Northern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China, and the USA, where it has naturally colonized large areas of tidal mudflats, becoming an invasive species. Smooth Cordgrass dies back at the end of each growing season. It is used by a variety of wildlife species and is an important food source for West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus), snow geese (Chen caerulescens) and provides cover for waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, and muskrats. It also provides a habitat for commercially important fish and shellfish.

• Grows up to 3-5 ft. tall (90-150 cm). Can grow to 8 ft (240 cm), or can remain at less than 2 ft. (60 cm) if the ground is extremely salty.
• Performs best in full sun in wet clay, loam, or sandy soils. It has the capacity to tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions, including floods, pH levels, and salinity levels
• Needs little care and has no serious pest or disease issues.
• Smooth Cordgrass is considered to be a non-native invasive plant on the U.S. Pacific coast
• Propagate by root division.
• Native to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States. It forms the dominant salt-marsh community in salt water, normally forming monoculture meadows where conditions allow.