Sand Cordgrass

Spartina bakeri Merr.

spar-TYNE-ah BAY-ker-eye

Poaceae

Explanation of name: Spartina comes from Greek, spartine, a cord made from spartes, a plant, apparently in reference to the cordlike leaves. Baker is a personal name.

Natural range: South Carolina to Texas. Native to Florida (NE4, HIT). Sandy soil. Shallow fresh (or salt water), often disturbed sites, wet pinewoods, wet prairie (HAE, HIT, TOB, NE4)

Recognition (based on TOB, YAR, NE4): Spikelets 5-12 erect, 1.25-2.5” long, appressed spikes.  Non-rhizomatous clumping grass rising to about 5’-6’ tall, with narrow arching leaves often about ¼” wide, rough on the upper surface, and with the edges usually rolled inward. Marsh-Hay Cord Grass (Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl.) is used in landscaping as well, in saline places especially where its ability to spread rhizomatously is desired. Similar but restricted to salt water, Marsh-Hay Sword Grass is smaller (to about 2’-3’ tall) and is rhizomatous. A second smaller species is Gulf Cord Grass (Spartina spartinae (Trin.) Merr. ex  Hitchc.); it lacks rhizomes and stands about 3’ tall with leaves only 3/16” wide. Another similar saltwater species is Saltmarsh Cord Grass or Smooth Cord Grass (Spartina alterniflora Loisel.), which is rhizomatous, is about the same overall size (3’-6’ tall) with much broader leaves, ¾-1” wide. Its spikelets are uniquely smooth (as opposed to rough). Much larger than all the other spartinas mentioned here, and rare, is Big Cord Grass (Spartina cynosuroides (L.) Roth), rising to over 9’ tall and having leaves over 1” wide. The spartinas with narrow leaves can resemble Muhly Grass (see separate treatment). The leaves differ, however, in the nature of the ligule (flap of tissue where the leaf blade bends outward from the stem). In Muhlenbergia the ligule is a membrane; in Spartina it is fibrous.

Landscape uses: Best used in masses to fill large spaces, sometimes as a background species, or as an accent, but may go through unsightly times. Peak forage production occurs from spring until fall.   Seedhead formation occurs in May or June though seed production is not common. This grass is an increaser on all sites where it occurs.  Fall or winter burns result in fair-quality grazing in the spring although the plant is unpalatable the remainder of the year.  Cattle select the decreaser species (maidencane, cutgrass) and allow Sand Cordgrass to increase.  Disking infested sites followed by a full growing season deferment will allow the decreaser species to spread.

Season:   Warm-season

Site Adaptations:  Freshwater marsh and ponds slough.