Seashore Crowngrass
Paspalum vaginatum
Found in brackish marshes, rarely inland in disturbed places. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Mississippi (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- About 1.2 inches
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Dry to standing water
At a glance
- Bloom
- April to November
- Fruiting season
- Summer to fall
Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves
Recorded in 4 Mississippi counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Coastal marshes flooded by salty or brackish tides.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Mississippi. Shared habitat, not food. 81 animals.
- Piping PloverCharadrius melodus
- Prairie WarblerDendroica discolor
- Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Red KnotCalidris canutus
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Royal TernThalasseus maximus
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpres
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinus
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Seaside SparrowAmmodramus maritimus
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Snow GooseChen caerulescens
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
Widespread birds also seen here (22)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Crow
- Bald Eagle
- Belted Kingfisher
- Black-crowned Night-heron
- Chimney Swift
- Common Grackle
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Towhee
- Fish Crow
- Great Horned Owl
- Hooded Merganser
- Osprey
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Turkey Vulture
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-crowned Night-heron
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Who uses this plant?
17CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS
Genus host records with ranges including MS · Paspalum
- Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
- Argyrotaenia ivanaIvana Leafroller Moth
- Diatraea evanescensBlack-Dot Diatraea
- Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
- Hedone vibexWhirlabout
- Herpetogramma phaeopteralisDusky Herpetogramma Moth,
- Hylephila phyleusFiery Skipper
- Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
- Lerema acciusClouded Skipper, Corn Leaf tier
- Lerodea eufalaEufala Skipper, Gray Skipper, Rice Leafroller
Show all 17
- Mocis texanaTexas Mocis
- Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
- Polites othoSouthern Broken-Dash, Broken-Dash Skipper
- Redectis vitreaWhite-Spotted Redactis
- Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
7BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Paspalum
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
13BirdsRecorded eating Paspalum in Mississippi
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Mississippi, most records first.
- Wild TurkeySeeds. 21 diet records
- Common Ground-dove10 diet records
- Mourning Dove6 diet records
- Brown-headed Cowbird4 diet records
- Northern Bobwhite4 diet records
- Wood DuckSeeds. 4 diet records
- Red-winged Blackbird2 diet records
- Bobolink2 diet records
- Sora2 diet records
- American Pipit1 diet record
Show all 13
- Common Grackle1 diet record
- Great-tailed Grackle1 diet record
- King RailSeeds. 1 diet record
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 Paspalum 13
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Common Ground-doveColumbina passerina
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
- SoraPorzana carolina
- American PipitAnthus rubescens
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Great-tailed GrackleQuiscalus mexicanus
- King RailRallus elegans
Plant details
- Family
- Poaceae
- Flower color
- Green
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Growth habit
- Spreads by rhizomes
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- Summer
- Fruit ends
- Fall
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “April to November” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Green” · 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 1.2 inches” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Light · “Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Soil · “Dry; Moist; Water; Wet (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Conservation status
| Mississippi rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| MS 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
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Mississippi 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