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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: common cordgrass
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification:
Emergent estuarine grass that colonizes within the intertidal zone, ranging between 0.3 and 1.3 meters in height. Spreads aggressively by radial growth of stout, white rhizomes.
Green to grayish-green leaves are flat when fresh, smooth on both upper and lower surfaces, accuminate and 6-15 mm wide at the leaf base and up to 10-45 mm long. Ciliate ligules are 2-3 mm long. Flowers form on numerous erect panicles, consisting of closely overlapping spikelets arranged in two rows on one side of the rachis.
Native Range:
England (see remarks section).
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Hawaii |
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Interactive maps: Continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, Caribbean
Nonindigenous Occurrences:
Originally introduced in 1961 to the Port Susan area of Puget Sound, Washington; it has spread to numerous sites in the counties of Skagit, Snohomish, Island, San Juan, Whatcom, King, Kitsap and Jefferson. As of 2007 it occupies approximately 250 acres in Puget Sound and Hood Canal (Murphy et al. 2007). Introduced in California as part of a restoration project into the Creekside Marsh in Marin County. It appears it may be spreading within this marsh and may invade Corte Madera Creek (Anon, Invasive Spartina Project 2004).
It was intentionally planted for cattle fodder and/or reclamation purposes into temperate estuaries in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Chine, New Zealand, Australia, and Tazmania. It has also spread to Roberts Bank in the Fraser River estuary near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Ecology: Inhabits low intertidal mud flats to high salt marsh, but grows best in low salinity marshes and open mudflats (Hacker et al. 2001).
Means of Introduction: Introduced into Washington for bank stabilization and as possible food source for cattle (Murphy et al. 2007). Also, intentionally introduced, probably with seed, during a marsh restoration in the San Francisco Bay (Ayres et al. 2004).
Status:
Impact of Introduction:
Accretion and stabilizing of loose sediments (Ranwell 1967, Gray et al. 1991, Thompson 1991); possible exclusion of native plants such as eelgrass (Zostera marina), pickleweed (Salicornia spp.) and others (Simenstad and Thom 1995); significant effects on sediment accretion, water content, redox potential, and salinity depending on the the type of habitat invaded (Hacker and Dethier 2006).
Remarks: S. anglica is the fertile F2 hybrid which arose between the European native Spartina maritima and Spartina alterniflora imported from the United States (Ayers and Strong 2001).
References
Other Resources:
Author: V. Howard
Revision Date: 10/31/2008 Citation for this information:
V. Howard. 2009. Spartina anglica. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=1126> Revision Date: 10/31/2008
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