Species

Spartina anglica

Common Name(s)

Spartina hybrid, cordgrass

Authority

Spartina anglica C.E.Hubb.

Family

Poaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

SPAANG

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Grasses

Habitat

Aquatic: Emergent. Estuaries, mangroves and other intertidal areas with soft sediment.

Features

Stiff perennial grass 50 to 100 cm tall with fleshy rhizomes, forming large dense clumps or swards. Leaf blades 5-40cm x 5-12mm flat or inrolled, hairless and narrowed to fine hard tip. Culm erect, 5-8mm diameter at base, including closely ensheathing leaves. inflorescence 10-30cm, erect.

Similar Taxa

Spartina anglica can be distinguished from S. alterniflora by its smaller stem size (5-8mm) (S. alterniflora stem 8-30 mm). And from S. x townsendii by the presence of fertile seed (seed is aborted in S. x townsendii)

Year Naturalised

1981

Origin

England

Reason for Introduction

Agricultural

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Perennial. Reproduces from seed and rhizome spreading and fragments. Seed is dispersed by wind and water. Livestock, propellers nets etc dislodge rhizome fragments, tidal and current movement, intentional planting. Rhizomes can survive long time at sea, moves long distances.

Tolerances

Tolerates very saline conditions. Can survive burying.

This page last updated on 30 Jul 2014