Cord grass
(in floret, occurs around the month of August)
Spartina alternaflora
Where it was photographed: Tidal marshes of Sedge Islands
Cord grass does not typically reproduce by seed in the Barnegat Bay estuary because of the unique estuarine environment; however, it does spread by rhizomes (root systems). In the lower areas of tidal influence (the areas that get flooded the most and areas closer to the inlet) it is the only vascular plant that survives. The beautiful green fields of the salt marsh are made up of only a handful of species of grasses that were able to adapt to the harsh environment of the bay. The most prevalent of these grasses is Cord Grass. It is the primary element of the detrital food chain.
Cord grass does not typically reproduce by seed in the Barnegat Bay estuary because of the unique estuarine environment; however, it does spread by rhizomes (root systems). In the lower areas of tidal influence (the areas that get flooded the most and areas closer to the inlet) it is the only vascular plant that survives. The beautiful green fields of the salt marsh are made up of only a handful of species of grasses that were able to adapt to the harsh environment of the bay. The most prevalent of these grasses is Cord Grass. It is the primary element of the detrital food chain.