# Cordgrass (*Spartina Schreb.*)

Cordgrass is a tall, slender plant that grows near the water's edge. Its long leaves sway gently in the breeze, providing shelter for small creatures and helping prevent erosion along coastlines.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Coastal areas
- **Also known as:** Spartina

![Cordgrass](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Spartina_alterniflora.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spartina_alterniflora.jpg)

## Appearance

The Cordgrass is a tall, sturdy grass with stiff, green to yellowish-green leaves that can have sharp edges. It grows in dense, upright clumps, often forming vast meadows along coastlines, making it stand out as a dominant marsh plant.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Family:** Poaceae
- **Genus:** Spartina

## Interesting facts

- Cordgrass actually helps build land by trapping mud and sediment, slowly creating new marsh areas!
- It can grow so densely that it provides a secret hideout for many small marsh creatures!
- Some Cordgrass species can reach incredible heights, towering over 10 feet tall like giant marsh skyscrapers!
- This amazing grass can 'sweat' out salt through tiny glands on its leaves, leaving sparkling salt crystals behind!

## Special abilities

- **Salt Solver:** Cordgrass can survive in incredibly salty water by using special glands to secrete excess salt, helping it thrive where other plants cannot.
- **Soil Stablizer:** Cordgrass has a powerful network of underground roots and rhizomes that bind soil, preventing erosion from waves and storms.
- **Oxygen Delivery:** Cordgrass has specialized internal air channels in its stems and roots, allowing it to get oxygen even in oxygen-poor, waterlogged mud.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-300 cm
- **Spread:** 50-500 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.5-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late_summer_fall
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Wind

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** Mallard Duck (*Anas platyrhynchos*) — Ducks eat cordgrass seeds
- **Shelter:** [Blue Crab](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-crab) (*Callinectes sapidus*) — Crabs hide in cordgrass stands
- **Symbiotic with:** Ribbed Mussel (*Geukensia demissa*) — Mussels attach to stems, filtering water
- **Shelter:** Grass Shrimp (*Palaemonetes pugio*) — Shrimp live among its stems

## Traits

- [Grass-Like](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grass-like): Grass-like plants are herbaceous plants that visually resemble true grasses, typically having long, narrow leaves.
- [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight.
- [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.
- [Salt Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/salt-tolerant): Salt tolerant plants can withstand and grow in conditions with elevated salinity levels in the soil or water.
- [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Enjoy looking at cordgrass from a distance and avoid touching it to protect the delicate ecosystem.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Cordgrass?

Compare seed heads, stem shape, how leaves attach, and the joint where leaf meets stem. A patch of mown lawn rarely shows enough for an exact ID. Grass Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Cordgrass?

30-300 cm

### How wide does Cordgrass spread?

50-500 cm

### How big are the flowers on Cordgrass?

0.5-2 cm

### When does Cordgrass bloom?

Late_summer_fall

### Is Cordgrass edible?

No

### Is Cordgrass toxic?

None

### What is Cordgrass's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Marine Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/marine-park) — New York, US · Park
- [Bay of Cádiz Natural Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bay-of-cadiz-natural-park) — Andalucía, ES · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Cordgrass: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cordgrass)