Living in the Dunes
In partnership with
NORTH CHAPTER
Family: Poaceae (Grass family)
Duration: Perennial
Height: up to 250 cm (up to 8 ft)
Blooming: July-Sept.
Prairie Cordgrass
Spartina pectinata Link
Flowers: the tightly appressed spike can get up to 15 cm (6 in) long. There can be 25+ long spikelets on the grass' spikes. The flowers are a soft purple bloom with yellow and green highlights.
Leaves: can grow up to 96 cm (3.15 ft) long. The blades are smooth on both sides with sharp edges. Running your hand along the stems may result in a cut hand.
Sun: Full sun to part shade
SOURCES & FURTHER RESOURCES:
Bonap map - Spartina pectinata
Grass Manual on the Web - Spartina pectinata
Comments: Because of the strong stature of prairie cordgrass, it was once used as a thatching for lodges by settlers and prairie Indians. It was one of the dominate grasses in the tall-grass prairies, especially in the wetter areas.
Etymology: The epithet, pectinata, is derived from the Latin word for "comb". This is referring to the comblike spikes that cordgrass has. The genus Spartina comes from the Greek word, spartinē, which means "rope".
all photos by Nathanael Pilla
Landscape: Prairie cordgrass grows colonially in wet soils, but it can succeed in drier conditions. A good choice if you are interested in stabilizing the soil around a pond or stream. It can get aggressive.
Madison, J. 1995. Where the sky began: land of the tallgrass prairie. University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, IA.
