Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Spartina alterniflora
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Sporobolus from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Spartina alterniflora
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Grasses of Florida (Hall, 2019)
Sporobolus alterniflorus
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 +
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Spartina alterniflora +
COMMON NAME:
Saltmarsh Cordgrass, Smooth Cordgrass
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
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 (10/20/20):
Spartina alterniflora
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Spartina alterniflora
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Grasses of Florida (Hall, 2019)
Sporobolus alterniflorus
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 +
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Spartina alterniflora +
1447
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: Salt marshes, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Click here to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate, 2-ranked
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 (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p357
- 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