Saltmeadow Cordgrass
Spartina patens
Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 94%
- Height
- About 2 feet
- Light
- 4 or more hours of direct sun
- Soil moisture
- Average to wet
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At a glance
- Bloom
- Late spring
- Fruiting season
- Summer to fall
Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves
Recorded in 14 Louisiana parishes.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 159 animals.
- Black-and-White WarblerMniotilta varia
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Blue-winged TealAnas discors
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis
- Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Common Ground-doveColumbina passerina
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Downy WoodpeckerPicoides pubescens
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Eastern PhoebeSayornis phoebe
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Eastern Wood-peweeContopus virens
- Eurasian WigeonAnas penelope
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- GadwallAnas strepera
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Gray CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
Widespread birds also seen here (34)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Bald Eagle
- Black-crowned Night-heron
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Canada Goose
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Eastern Kingbird
- European Starling
- Great Egret
- Great Horned Owl
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Osprey
- Pine Siskin
- Purple Finch
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Tree Swallow
- Turkey Vulture
- White-throated Sparrow
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-crowned Night-heron
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Who uses this plant?
17CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA
Genus host records with ranges including LA · 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 17
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Poanes aaroniAaron's Skipper
- Automeris louisiana
- Blastobasis graminea
- Chilo demotella
- Chilo plejadellus
- Photedes enervata
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded eating Spartina in Louisiana
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.
- Snow GooseRoots. 2 diet records
Direct food only. 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
Birds that eat Spartina 1
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Snow GooseChen caerulescens
Plant details
- Family
- Poaceae
- Flower color
- Yellow
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Growth habit
- Spreads by rhizomes
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- Summer
- Fruit ends
- Fall
What its natural habitat tells you
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 · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth habit · “Spreads by rhizomes” · 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 2 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Also known as
Sporobolus pumilus
Conservation status
| Louisiana rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| LA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Growing cautions
- Spreads by rhizomes. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as rhizomatous. USDA PLANTS
For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.
Sources
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Louisiana occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications