FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Angles of leaves are distinctive, forming a "v" against the stem. Distichlis spicata (saltgrass) commonly found with Spartina patens (saltmeadow cordgrass), but usually "hidden" among the taller grasses with which it grows.
Synonym(s): Distichlis stricta, Uniola spicata
Description: Short, wiry grass 10 to 40 cm tall. Forms dense colonies spreading by stout rhizomes. Runners on the ground level sometimes evident.
Leaves: Numerous thin, linear leaves angle at 45 degrees to the stem. Leaves distinctly 2-ranked or arranged in one plane on opposite sides of the stiff, hollow stem. Leaves contain overlapping sheaths and edges of leaves are rolled inward.
Flowers/Fruit: Terminal inflorescence is a light green panicle, 1 to 6 cm long. Male and female flowers occur on separate plants with small spikelets of 5 to 9 flowers. Flowers and fruits June to October.
Habit and Range: Salt marshes or brackish marshes, along seashores, forming dense colonies. Can tolerate salinities exceeding that of full-strength seawater.
Taxonomic Note: Saltgrass is named from the Greek word, "distichos," meaning leaves are 2- ranked (arranged in one plane on opposite sides of the stem).
COMMON CONFUSIONS:
Distichlis spicata (saltgrass) could be confused with another saltmarsh species, Spartina patens (saltmeadow cordgrass) which has finer seedhead, with leaves that are cylindrical and thin in cross section. Stems of Distichlis spicata are wiry and hollow.
Click here to view Spartina patens.
Link to side-by-side comparisons page
