COMMON CORD-GRASS

Spartina anglica

Grasses [Poaceae]

flower

petals

stem

5th Aug 2009, Lytham, Lancs Coastal sands.

Photo: © RWD

Specially planted in the salt-flats and mud flats of estuaries and tidal rivers to stabilise the wet mud.

5th Aug 2009, Lytham, Lancs Coastal sands.

Photo: © RWD

Up to 4 foot tall.

5th Aug 2009, Lytham, Lancs Coastal sands.

Photo: © RWD

Aeddish stem from which several wide, rapidly-tapering blades peel off and three flowering spikes, the tallest two paired up as if split.

5th Aug 2009, Lytham, Lancs Coastal sands.

Photo: © RWD

Getting swallowed up by rather mobile sand.

5th Aug 2009, Lytham, Lancs Coastal sands.

Photo: © RWD

Reddish stem and three spikes before flowering.

23rd Aug 2011, Lytham, Lancs Coastal sands.

Photo: © RWD

A pair of twinned flowering spikes, manually held apart so that the pair can be distinguished.

23rd Aug 2011, Lytham, Lancs Coastal sands.

Photo: © RWD

The pair as appear normally, as two close-together halves.

5th Aug 2009, Lytham, Lancs Coastal sands.

Photo: © RWD

The flowers are like miniature but curly bottle-brushes, with creamy-green strands. Close up of curced ridged blade.

23rd Aug 2011, Lytham, Lancs Coastal sands.

Photo: © RWD

Close-up of flowers.

Easily mistaken for : other Cord-Grasses, but the location is a big a clue as any.

Common Cord-grass is native, but is derived from the hybrid between Small Cord-grass (Spartina maritima) and Townsend's Cord-grass (Spartina townsendii). It is able to propagate and multiply by itself. [Townsend's Cord-grass is itself a hybrid between Small Cord-grass (Spartina maritima) and Smooth Cord-grass (Spartina alterniflora) ]

One of the parents, Small Cord-grass does not grow and is not planted on the Sefton Coast, but Townsend's Cord-grass is found much closer, but not apparently at Lytham.

ANY TEXT GOES HERE

Distribution
family8Grasses family8Poaceae

BSBI maps

Spartina
(Cord-Grasses)