Prairie Cordgrass

Spartina pectinata Bosc ex Link - Grass family

Size

Mature Height: Up to around 8.0 feet

Planting Distance: 3.0 feet

Plant Type: Graminoid

Root Depth: 18 inches

Growth Form: Rhizomatous

Growth Rate: Rapid

Features

Flower Color: Yellow

Conspicuous Flowers: No

Bloom Time: Mid Summer

Seasonal Growth: Spring and Summer

Evergreen: No

Fall Colors: No

Conditions

Shade Tolerance: Intolerant

Clay Soil Tolerance: No

Sandy Soil Tolerance: Yes

Drought Tolerance: Low

Flood Tolerance: High

Fire Tolerance: High

Salt Tolerance: Low

Ecosystem Interactions

Pollinators: Larval Host (Moth); Wind

Larval Species depending on Prairie Cordgrass: Choristoneura enervata, Hysterosia spartinana, Mesapamea stipata, Spartiniphaga inops

Native Range

  • CAN:  Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territorie, Ontario, Prince Edward I., Québec, Saskatchewan
  • USA:  Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode I., South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Regional Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N), SPM (N)

State-level native status is based on data available through Plants of the World Online. Regional Native Status comes from the USDA Plants Database. For more detailed native status information, please refer to BONAP.