Practical
Plants

Spartina pectinata

Prairie Cord Grass

a perennial member of the Spartina genus in the family Gramineae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1.8 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The culms are much used for thatching[1][5].

Product or use
Thatching

Environment

Range
N. America - Newfoundland and Quebec to Washington and Oregon, south to North Carolina and Texas.
Habitat
Shores and gravels[6] and in marshes and sloughs[1]. Usually found in freshwater marshes, though extending into saline marshes near the coast[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant
Salinity
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow in a greenhouse in spring and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Plant out in the summer if sufficient growth has been made, otherwise overwinter them in a cold frame and plant them out in the following spring. Division in spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in fresh or salt water marshes and in ordinary garden soil[1]. Prefers a deep rich moist soil in sun or light shade[2]. Plants have an invasive root system[3].

References

  1. Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  3. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

    ↩

  4. Hitchcock. A. S. Manual of the Grasses of the United States Dover Publications. New York. 1971-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22717-0

    ↩

  5. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  6. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

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