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Spartina
Also called Dropseed, Dropseeds, Rushgrass, Dropseed And Cordgrasses, Rice Grasses, Dropseeds, Cordgrasses, And Sandreeds
Cordgrass (Spartina) is a genus of grasses, mostly found in coastal salt marshes, that form large dense colonies and grow quickly. Grow them in wet, saline or brackish soil in full sun, as they need moisture and open light.
Spartina is a section of the genus Sporobolus, plants in the grass family, frequently found in coastal salt marshes. It was first established as a separate genus in 1789, and reduced to a section in 2014. Species are commonly known as cordgrass or cord-grass, and are native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean in western and southern Europe, north-western and southern Africa, the Americas and the islands of the southern Atlantic Ocean; one or two species also occur on the western coast of North America and in freshwater habitats inland in the Americas. The highest species diversity is on the east coasts of North and South America, particularly Florida. They form large, often dense colonies, particularly on coastal salt marshes, 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.
Species of the section Spartina have been planted to reclaim estuarine areas for farming, to supply fodder for livestock, and to prevent erosion. Various members of the genus (especially Sporobolus alterniflorus and its derivatives, Sporobolus anglicus and Sporobolus × townsendii) have spread outside of their native boundaries and become invasive.
Big cordgrass (S. cynosuroides) is used in the construction of bull's eye targets for sports archery. A properly constructed target can stop an arrow safely without damage to the arrowhead as it lodges in the target.
Species of the section Spartina are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the Aaron's skipper, which feeds exclusively on smooth cordgrass, and the engrailed moth.
Sporobolus schoenoides · Modest prickle grass · Sporobolus pumilus · Alkali sacaton · Atlantic Cordgrass · Common Cord-grass · Prairie dropseed · Pan dropseed · West Indian Dropseed · West Indian Dropseed · Salt grass · Dropseed
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Spartina by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
