Saltmeadow Cordgrass
Spartina patens

Saltmeadow cordgrass is a native grass with wiry leaves that often form a whorled pattern. It grows in high, irregularly flooded areas of salt and brackish marshes along the Chesapeake Bay.

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Saltmeadow cordgrass grows in the high marsh, seen above with black needlerush near Hopkins Cove in Crocheron, Md., on July 31, 2017. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

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Appearance

Saltmeadow cordgrass has drooping, wiry, dark green leaves. Leaves grow 6 to 12 inches in length. The leaves are shiny on top and rough on the bottom. Spikes of tiny, overlapping florets bloom in June to October. The rhizomes (underground portion of a plant’s stem) are long and slender. Saltmeadow cordgrass grows 1 to 4 feet tall.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Saltmeadow cordgrass usually reproduces asexually when its long, underground rhizomes spread and form new stems. It also produces seeds sparsely.

Did You Know?

  • Saltmeadow cordgrass is also known as saltmeadow hay.
  • Its stems are easily bent and blown over by the wind, giving the grass its distinctive whorled, “cowlick” appearance.

Sources and Additional Information

Tags:
Plants & Trees Grasses Marshes & Wetlands Beaches & Tidal Flats