Spartina alterniflora

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-026255",
  "term": "Spartina alterniflora",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "Smooth cordgrass is a tall clumping perennial grass with creeping rhizomes that grows up to 7 ft. in height. The leaves have flat blades 12 to 20 in. long that are sometimes rolled at the tip. Flowering occurs June to November. The flowers occur in erect wands (panicles) 4-16 in. long and about 1/3 to 1 in. wide, each composed of 5 to 30 individual flowering spikes. The branch axes are triangular, with two rows of sessile, overlapping spikelets on the lower side. Spikelets are strongly flattened, keeled, and lanceolate, 8-15 mm long, with one floret and a pair of straight, unequal glumes. Spikelets detach from below the glumes. Glume and lemma keels are glabrous to sparsely covered with long, soft hairs and the ligule is hairy. Smooth cordgrass is native to coastal states of eastern and southern U.S. It has been introduced by humans to wetlands in California, Oregon and Washington both accidentally and intentionally. Smooth cordgrass did not previously occur in western U.S. and would not likely be transported there by natural means. These western coastal habitats are novel environments well beyond the natural native range of smooth cordgrass and unfortunately, the plant has adapted well and become a serious environmental weed there. Within its native range, smooth cordgrass is an integral part of the tidal wetland ecosystem and does not need management. [",
  "references": [
    "National Park Service Plant Conservation Alliance at http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/spal1.htm"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/spartina-alterniflora/"
}