Spartina foliosa Trin.   Poaceae (Grass Family)   Native   Cord Grass        Calif. Cord Grass

                                           June Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Perennial with strong creeping rootstocks; culms stout, 3-12 dm. tall, up to 1 cm. thick at base, usually rooting at lower nodes; blades long, tough, 8-12 mm. wide at base, smooth; infl. dense, 1.5-2.5 dm. long; spikes many, approximate, closely appressed, 3-8 cm. long; spikelets, 1-fld., very flat, 9-12 mm. long; glumes firm, glabrous or hispid-ciliate on keel, acute, the 1st narrow, one half to one third as long as the 2d, smooth, the 2d slightly hispidulous; lemma, firm, keeled, the lateral nerves obscure, hispidulous on sides, shorter than 2d glume; palea thin, longer than lemma.

Habitat:  Coastal Salt Marsh; L. Calif. to n. Calif.  Below 10 m.  July-Nov.

Name:  Greek, spartine, a cord.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 1000).  Latin, foliosus, leafy.  (Jaeger 104).

General:  Very common in the study area.  Photographed at North Star Beach.  (my comments).     Given the relatively short list of species known to tolerate saline conditions worldwide and realizing that even these species grow best in environments less saline than the intertidal zone, one might predict a rather limited flora and highly stressed community for hypersaline marshes.  This appears to be the case.  There are up to 17 native halophytes (mostly succulents) that are common in the areas of greatest tidal influence in southern California estuaries.  They intermix to produce a low-growing, relatively open canopy of vegetation that readily responds to decreased salinities by becoming taller and denser.  (Zedler 15-17).       There are, however, over 30 native halophytes occurring in the Upper Newport Bay estuary, they are listed below in the order in which they normally grow beginning from the lower marsh. Zostera marina, Spartina foliosa, Salicornia virginica, Salicornia bigelovii, Batis maritima, Atriplex watsonii, Limonium californicum, Suaeda esteroa, Cuscuta salina, Jaumea carnosa, Distichlis spicata, Triglochin concinna var. concinna, Frankenia salina, Monanthochloe littoralis, Cordylanthus maritimus ssp. maritimus, Suaeda taxifolia, Arthrocnemum subterminalis, Spergularia marina, Cressa truxillensis, Atriplex triangularis, Suaeda calceoliformis, Scirpus robustus, Scirpus maritimus, Scirpus californicus, Scirpus americanus, Heliotropium curassavicum,  Aster subulatus var. ligulatus, Juncus acutus ssp. leopoldii,   Amblyopappus pusillus, Atriplex lentiformis ssp. lentiformis,  and Atriplex canescens ssp. canescens.     Cordgrass, Spartina foliosa, forms robust stands in the lowest elevations of most tidally flushed wetlands.  Seventy percent or more of the cordgrass occurs between 3.5 and 4.25 ft. above MLLW. Because of the importance of cordgrass as habitat for the endangered clapper rail, Rallus longrirostris levipes, considerable attention has been given to the artificial propagation of this species.  Although Phleger (1971) was unable to germinate its seeds, Seneca (1974) and Mason (1980) achieved success with seeds from San Francisco Bay populations; and several populations have yielded viable seed in San Diego County. (Zedler, Joy B. 1978-80. "Coastal Wetlands Management: Restoration and Establishment."  California Sea Grant College Program Biennial Report, Pages 56-60.  Institute of Marine Science, La Jolla, Calif.).       Seedlings are extremely rare in nature, however, and most of the spread of the species is vegetative.  (Zedler 22).       It is easy to visualize the value of a cordgrass marsh for bird feeding and cover because the invertebrate fauna is abundant and the vegetation is tall and dense.  However, there is a major limiting factor for nesting--namely, the fact that high tides inundate the habitat year round, and the canopy is both too short and too flexible to allow nest construction off the ground.  The solution to this dilemma is a platform nest, complete with ramp, built of dead Spartina stems, which can float in situ with the rising tide.  Clapper rail nest rims were 15 to 20 cm. above the ground at Tijuana Estuary, 15 to 50 cm. high at Upper Newport Bay, and 18 to 55 cm. high at Anaheim Bay.  Tall Spartina stands are the preferred nesting habitat and the surrounding grass stems are bent over the nest to form a canopy, perhaps to provide protection from flying predators.  Incubation nests in middle and upper marsh habitats were found to be built closer to the ground, and sometimes without the gazebo-like canopy.  (Zedler 80).        Cordgrass is usually absent from wetlands that are frequently closed to tidal circulation and expands substantially during years of less saline conditions. (Zedler 35,39).       A factor that may make vascular plants less palatable for marsh grazers is high salt content.  Higher internal salt content would explain the lower carbon content for marsh plants.  In addition the salt excreting species Spartina foliosa, Monanthochloe littoralis, Distichlis spicata, Limonium californicum, and Frankenia salina are all usually coated with salt crystals, which should make them less desirable to herbivores.  In the outdoor laboratory at Mission Bay, Zedler witnessed more insect herbivory on cordgrass plants grown in fresh water than on plants grown in sea water.  (Zedler 51).       The roots of the halophytes have cells with large openings between them (parenchyma tissue), which allow oxygen to escape into the mud.  The oxygen reacts with iron sulfide in the mud forming iron oxide and iron sulfate, which are both nutrients that the plant can use.  S. foliosa does this very well.  (Native plant class taught by Dave Bontrager through Coastline Community College, spring 1985).    For additional information on the native halophytes see Frankenia salina, Monanthochloe littoralis and the other plants listed above.  (my comment).        Delfina Cuero, a Kumeyaay or Southern Diegueno Indian made the following comments about Spartina foliosa in her autobiography:  "When this grows big, we made them into bundles for house walls.  Other uses were as medicine; boil roots and give to a baby when constipated or unable to urinate." (Shipek 97).      About 16 species widely distributed.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 1000).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 1297; Mason 202; Munz, Flora So. Calif.  1001; Roberts 48.

Photo Ref:  June 4 83 # 18; Feb 83 # 22A,23A; June-July 93 #22.

Identity: by R. De Ruff.

First Found: February 1983.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 56.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 6/10/04.

                          February Photo                                                             June Photo