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Smooth Cordgrass

Spartina alterniflora

Smooth cordgrass is a native perennial grass with flat, blade-like leaves. It grows in low-lying, salt and brackish tidal marshes along the shores of the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay.

Appearance:

• Smooth, blade-like leaves that taper to a point
• Leaves grow 12-20 inches long and one-half an inch wide
• Round, hollow stems
• Tiny, white flowers that bloom in July-September
• Strong, interconnected root system
• Grows in two forms: a short form that grows to 2 feet tall, and a tall form that can reach 7 feet tall

Habitat:

• Grows between the low- and high-tide marks in salt and brackish marshes
• Forms dense colonies that usually parallel the shoreline
• Short form more common in slightly higher areas
• Tall form more common in low areas that are flooded by tides every day

Range:

• Found along the shores of the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay and its tidal creeks and rivers

Reproduction and Life Cycle:

• Usually reproduces asexually when its long, underground rhizomes spread and form new stems
• Flowers mature into foot-long seed spikes in autumn

Other Facts:

• Also known as saltmarsh cordgrass
• The dominant grass in the Bay’s salt marshes
• Used to control shoreline erosion
• Provides important habitat for marsh periwinkles, ribbed mussels andfiddler crabs

Sources and Additional Information:

• Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Life in the Chesapeake Bay by Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson
• PLANTS Profile for Spartina alterniflora – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Spartina alterniflora – U.S. Forest Service