Spartina x townsendii
Townsend's Cord Grass
a perennial member of the Spartina genus in the family Gramineae.
Taxonomy and growth
Uses
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The plants have an extensive root system and they are much planted in tidal flats for erosion control[1][3][2].
Ecology and functions
Environment
- Range
- Western Europe in Britain and France.
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- high
- 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. This species is a hybrid and is therefore unlikely to breed true from seed. 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[2]. Prefers a deep rich moist soil in sun or light shade[4]. This plant is a naturally occurring hybrid, probably S. maritima (syn S. stricta) and S. alternifolia[1]. An allopolyploid[4].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5