Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Spartina alterniflora
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Cordgrass from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
The recognition of the genus Spartina is controversial following the work of Peterson et al. (2014), which shows Spartina as derived from within Sporobolus. For now and awaiting further study and potential taxonomic changes, we retain an apparently paraphyletic Sporobolus and recognize Spartina, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Spartina alterniflora
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sporobolus alterniflorus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25 (2003)
Spartina alterniflora
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Spartina alterniflora
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-58-003:
Spartina alterniflora FAMILY Poaceae
INCLUDING Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Spartina alterniflora var. alterniflora
INCLUDING Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Spartina alterniflora var. glabra
INCLUDING Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Spartina alterniflora var. pilosa
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Spartina alterniflora var. alterniflora
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Spartina alterniflora var. glabra
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Spartina alterniflora var. pilosa
COMMON NAME:
Saltmarsh Cordgrass, Smooth Cordgrass
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950 pnd_spal_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm090517_032
May Georgetown County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm160915_113
September Beaufort County SC
Spring Island
)
JK Marlow jkm160915_139
September Beaufort County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm160915_145
September Beaufort County SC
Leaves cauline; sheaths overlapping; blades usually < 12mm wide, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Keith Bradley kab_s_alterniflora_0130
December Charleston County SC
Dominant plant (often almost a monoculture) of intratidal salt marshes here, per Weakley's Flora (2020).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Spartina alterniflora
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Spartina alterniflora
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sporobolus alterniflorus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25
Spartina alterniflora
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Spartina alterniflora
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-58-003:
Spartina alterniflora
FAMILY
Poaceae
INCLUDING
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Spartina alterniflora var. alterniflora
INCLUDING
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Spartina alterniflora var. glabra
INCLUDING
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Spartina alterniflora var. pilosa
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Spartina alterniflora var. alterniflora
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Spartina alterniflora var. glabra
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Spartina alterniflora var. pilosa
1447
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: Salt marshes. S. alterniflora is the dominant plant (often essentially a monoculture) of intratidal salt marshes in our area, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate, 2-ranked
RHIZOMES? STOLONS?
Rhizomatous
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Inflorescence an array of spikes
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Grain
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p170
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p357
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p508
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p442
- Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950) p511
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p092
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p148
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