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Saltmarsh Cordgrass

Spartina alterniflora

Found in salt marshes. S. alterniflorus is the dominant plant (often essentially a monoculture) of intratidal salt and brackish marshes in our area. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

42
Good

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
About 3.5 feet
Light
4 or more hours of direct sun
Soil moisture
Moist to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
Late spring
Fruiting season
Spring to summer

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 29 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Salt and brackish marshes

Coastal marshes flooded by salty or brackish tides.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 147 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

15CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Spartina

  • Aethalura intertextaFour-Barred Gray
  • Ancyloxypha numitorLeast Skipper
  • Apantesis phalerataHarnessed Moth
  • Doryodes bistrialisDouble-Lined Doryodes
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Leucania linitaReed Wainscot, Linen Wainscot
  • Leucanopsis longaLong-Streaked Tussock Moth
  • Mocis texanaTexas Mocis
  • Nola cereellaSorghum Cutworm, Sorghum Webworm Moth, Sorgham Webworm Moth
  • Panoquina panoquinSalt Marsh Skipper
Show all 15
  • Poanes aaroniAaron's Skipper
  • Chilo demotella
  • Chilo plejadellus
  • Doryodes spadaria
  • Photedes enervata
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Spartina

  • Anser caerulescensSnow Goose
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Grows in clumps
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Late spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Flower color · “Yellow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Grows in clumps” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Height · “About 3.5 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Also known as

Sporobolus alterniflorus

Conservation status

Florida rankS5
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources