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Saltmeadow Cordgrass

Spartina patens

Found in dunes, sand flats, upper edges of tidal marshes, maritime wet grasslands, overwash flats. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

42
Good

Native to Mississippi (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
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
Late spring
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 3 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 3

Coastal dunes and beaches

Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.

Coastal tidal marshes (salinity not stated)

Tidal marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where the source does not say whether the water is fresh, brackish or salt. A stated salinity files the marsh under freshwater tidal marshes or salt and brackish marshes instead.

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Mississippi. Shared habitat, not food. 142 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (43)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Mississippi

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

15CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · 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
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Poanes aaroniAaron's Skipper
  • Automeris louisiana
  • Chilo plejadellus
  • Photedes enervata
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded eating Spartina 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.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

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.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae
Flower color
Yellow
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 · “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

Mississippi rankSNR
Global rankG5
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

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