Cordgrass
Encyclopedia
Spartina, commonly known as cordgrass or cord-grass, is a genus of 14 species
of grass
es in the family Poaceae
. They are native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean
in western and southern Europe
, northwest and southern Africa
, the Americas
and the southern Atlantic Ocean islands; one or two species also occur on the North America
n Pacific Ocean
coast and in freshwater
habitats inland in the Americas. The highest species diversity is on the east coasts of North America and South America
, particularly Florida
.
They form large, often dense colonies
, particularly on coast
al salt marsh
es, and grow quickly. The species vary in size from 0.3-2 m tall. Many of the species will produce hybrids if they come into contact.
areas for stripping, to supply feed for livestock
, and to prevent erosion
. Various members of the genus (especially Spartina alterniflora
and its derivatives, Spartina anglica
and Spartina × townsendii) have spread outside of their native boundaries and become invasive
.
of some Lepidoptera
species including Aaron's Skipper
(which feeds exclusively on Smooth Cordgrass
) and Engrailed
.
in some countries
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es in the family Poaceae
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
. They are native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in western and southern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, northwest and southern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
and the southern Atlantic Ocean islands; one or two species also occur on the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast and in freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
habitats inland in the Americas. The highest species diversity is on the east coasts of North America and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, particularly Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
They form large, often dense colonies
Clonal colony
A clonal colony or genet is a group of genetically identical individuals that have grown in a given location, all originating vegetatively from a single ancestor. In plants, an individual in such a population is referred to as a ramet...
, particularly on coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
al salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es, and grow quickly. The species vary in size from 0.3-2 m tall. Many of the species will produce hybrids if they come into contact.
Selected species and hybrids
- Spartina alternifloraSpartina alternifloraSpartina alterniflora is a perennial deciduous grass which is found in intertidal wetlands, especially estuarine salt marshes. It grows 1-1.5 m tall, and has smooth, hollow stems which bear leaves up to 20-60 cm long and 1.5 cm wide at their base, which are sharply tapered and bend down...
Jean Louis August Loiseleur-Deslongchamps|Loisel. – Smooth Cordgrass (eastern North America) - Spartina anglicaSpartina anglicaSpartina anglica is a species of cordgrass that originated in southern England in about 1870. It is an allotetraploid species derived from the hybrid Spartina × townsendii, which arose when the European native cordgrass Spartina maritima hybridised with the introduced American Spartina...
C.E.Hubb.Charles Edward HubbardCharles Edward Hubbard was a British botanist, specialising in agrostology – the study of grasses; he was considered "the world authority on the classification and recognition of grasses"...
– Common Cordgrass (cultivated origin) - Spartina bakeri Merr. – Sand Cordgrass
- Spartina × caespitosa A.A.Eaton – Short Cordgrass
- Spartina cynosuroides (L.) Roth – Big Cordgrass
- Spartina densifloraSpartina densifloraSpartina densiflora is a species of grass known by the common name dense-flowered cordgrass. It is native to the coastline of southern South America, where it is a resident of salt marshes. It is also known on the west coast of the United States and parts of the Mediterranean coast as an introduced...
Brongn. – Denseflower Cordgrass - Spartina foliosaSpartina foliosaSpartina foliosa is a species of grass known by the common name California cordgrass. It is native to the salt marshes and mudflats of coastal California and Baja California, especially San Francisco Bay. It is a perennial grass growing from short rhizomes. It produces single stems or clumps of...
Trin. – California Cordgrass - Spartina gracilisSpartina gracilisSpartina gracilis is a species of grass known by the common name alkali cordgrass. It is native to western North America from northwestern Canada through the western United States and eastern California, and into central Mexico...
Trin. – Alkali Cordgrass - Spartina maritimaSpartina maritimaSpartina maritima is a species of cordgrass native to the coasts of western and southern Europe and western Africa, from the Netherlands west across southern England to southern Ireland, and south along the Atlantic coast to Morocco and also on the Mediterranean Sea coasts...
(Curtis) Fernald – Small Cordgrass (western Europe) - Spartina patensSpartina patensSpartina patens , also known as salt marsh hay, is a species of cordgrass native to the Atlantic coast of the Americas, from Newfoundland south along the eastern United States to the Caribbean and northeast Mexico...
(Aiton) Muhl – Saltmeadow Cordgrass - Spartina pectinataSpartina pectinataSpartina pectinata is a species of cordgrass known by the common name prairie cordgrass. It is native to central North America.-External links:***...
Bosc ex Link – Prairie Cordgrass (central North America; freshwater) - Spartina spartinae (Trin.) Merr. ex Hitchc. – Gulf Cordgrass
- Spartina × townsendii H.Groves & J.Groves (S. alterniflora × S. maritima) – Townsend's Cordgrass
Cultivation
Spartina has been planted by humans to reclaim estuarineEstuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
areas for stripping, to supply feed for livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
, and to prevent erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
. Various members of the genus (especially Spartina alterniflora
Spartina alterniflora
Spartina alterniflora is a perennial deciduous grass which is found in intertidal wetlands, especially estuarine salt marshes. It grows 1-1.5 m tall, and has smooth, hollow stems which bear leaves up to 20-60 cm long and 1.5 cm wide at their base, which are sharply tapered and bend down...
and its derivatives, Spartina anglica
Spartina anglica
Spartina anglica is a species of cordgrass that originated in southern England in about 1870. It is an allotetraploid species derived from the hybrid Spartina × townsendii, which arose when the European native cordgrass Spartina maritima hybridised with the introduced American Spartina...
and Spartina × townsendii) have spread outside of their native boundaries and become invasive
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
.
Ecology
Spartina species are used as food plants by the larvaeCaterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including Aaron's Skipper
Aaron's Skipper
Poanes aaroni, the Saffron Skipper, is a North American butterfly from the skipper family which occurs in salt marshes along the Atlantic coast.The upper side of the wings are vivid orange, with broad black borders...
(which feeds exclusively on Smooth Cordgrass
Spartina alterniflora
Spartina alterniflora is a perennial deciduous grass which is found in intertidal wetlands, especially estuarine salt marshes. It grows 1-1.5 m tall, and has smooth, hollow stems which bear leaves up to 20-60 cm long and 1.5 cm wide at their base, which are sharply tapered and bend down...
) and Engrailed
Engrailed
The Engrailed and Small Engrailed are moths of the family Geometridae. They are distributed across most of Europe. There is an on-going debate as to whether they make up one species, or whether E. crepuscularia actually refers only to the Small Engrailed, with the Engrailed proper being separable...
.
As an invasive species
Three of the Spartina species have become invasive plantsInvasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
in some countries
See also
- Sand BaySand BaySand Bay is a strip of coast in North Somerset bordered to the south by Worlebury Hill and to the north by Middle Hope and Sand Point. It lies north of the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare, and across the Bristol Channel from South Wales. It is adjacent to the village of Kewstoke.The north end...
- an area in the UK where Spartina grass planted to support a river bank has spread. - Invasive grasses of North AmericaInvasive grasses of North AmericaGrasses are one of the most abundant floras on all continents except Antarctica. Their divergence is estimated to have taken place 200 million years ago. Humans have intentionally and unintentionally introduced these species to North America through travel and trade. On the North American plains,...