Smooth Cordgrass
Spartina alterniflora
Smooth cordgrass has tiny, white flowers that bloom in July-September. (Anna Armitage/Flickr)
Smooth cordgrass has flat, blade-like leaves, while saltmeadow cordgrass has drooping, wiry leaves. (Sandy Richard/Flickr)
The short form of smooth cordgrass is more common in slightly higher areas, while the tall form is more common in low areas that are flooded by tides every day. (Sandy Richard/Flickr)
Smooth cordgrass is a native perennial grass with flat, blade-like leaves. (Sandy Richard/Flickr)
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 cordgrass has smooth, blade-like leaves that taper to a point. The leaves leaves grow 12 to 20 inches in length and one-half an inch wide. Tiny, white flowers bloom in July to September. It has round, hollow stems and a strong, interconnected root system. Smooth cordgrass grows in two forms: a short form that grows to 2 feet tall, and a tall form that can reach 7 feet tall.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Smooth cordgrass usually reproduces asexually when its long, underground rhizomes spread and form new stems. Flowers mature into foot-long seed spikes in autumn.
Did You Know?
- Smooth cordgrass is also known as saltmarsh cordgrass. It is the dominant grass in the Bay’s salt marshes.
- This grass can be used to control shoreline erosion. It also provides important habitat for marsh periwinkles, ribbed mussels and fiddler 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 Database: Spartina alterniflora – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Spartina alterniflora – U.S. Forest Service
Quick Facts
Species
Native
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Size
"Short" form grows to 2 feet tall; "tall" form grows to 7 feet tall -
Habitat
Grows between the low- and high-tide marks in salt and brackish marshes, forming dense colonies that usually parallel the shoreline. The short form is more common in slightly higher areas, while the tall form is more common in low areas that are flooded by tides every day.
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Range
Found along the shores of the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay and its tidal creeks and rivers.
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Status
Stable
