SCIENTIFIC NAME: Spartina pectinata
COMMON NAMES: Prairie Cordgrass, Sloughgrass, Freshwater Cordgrass, Rip Gut
BLOOM TIME: July, Aug, Sept
PLANT PROFILE:
- 3-7 ft. tall unbranched plant.
- Arching leaf bladesare 8 - 30 in. long x 3/10 - 5/8 in. wide with green to yellow-green color.
- Tiny flowers at top of spikelets with 10-25 spikelets that are green, then brown after blooming.
- Warm season grass, actively grows to in summer when soil temps. are warm.
- Common in central/northern Illinois.
- Habitat: moist soil with partial to full sun, found in wet prairies, prairie swales, swamps, & marshes.
- Can adapt to rock or sandy soil if moist.
- Was a dominant plant in wet prairies & no other grass resembles it.
- Cross pollinated by wind during a period of 1-2 weeks.
- Aggressive grower that spreads by rhizomes.
- Good plant to combat invasive alien species like reed canary grass.
INSECT/ANIMAL INTERACTIONS:
- The rootstocks & seed heads are eaten by the Canada Goose.
- The seeds can cling to the fur of animals or clothing of humans; this spreads the seeds to new locations.
- It is an important source of protective cover and nesting habitat for many wetland birds and other kinds of wildlife.