BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Spartina pectinata | Prairie Cordgrass 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Prairie cordgrass is a warm-season, native, sod-forming grass.  Culms
reach heights of 3.5 to 10 feet (1-3 m) and are firm or wiry.  Spikes
are mostly 10 to 20 per plant and are 1.5 to 3 inches (4-8 cm) long.
The root system has coarse, woody, highly branched rhizomes.  The roots
grow from the rhizomes and the base of the clumps and penetrate almost
vertically downward to depths of 8 to 13 feet (2.4-3.3 m) [13,14,30].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Geophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Prairie cordgrass reproduces by both sexual and vegetative means.  Most
reproduction is vegetative; seedlings are shade-intolerant and only
establish in bare areas [29].

Vegetative:  Rhizomes form an open network in part or all of the first
foot of soil [30].  Reproduction from rhizomes produces a complete
cover, and in dense stands, almost no other plants are found [32].

Seed:  Seeds germinate readily in wet soil, and seedlings develop
rapidly [29].  Varying germination results have been reported.  Two
greenhouse studies, both with optimum germination temperatures (86
degrees F [30 deg C] day, 68 degrees F [20 deg C] night), reported
germinations of 70 to 91 percent [8] and 41 percent [24].  Seedling
survival was high after 4 weeks of moisture stress conditions, although
a reduction in growth rates did occur [8].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Prairie cordgrass is the most abundant grass of low floodplains and
wetlands in Indiana.  It is a facultative wetland species, meaning it is
usually found in wetlands (67 to 99 percent of the time) but is
occasionally found in nonwetlands.  It occurs on most soil textures from
fine clays to silt loams and is somewhat tolerant of alkaline
conditions.  It is tolerant of high water tables but intolerant of
prolonged flooding [12].

Prairie cordgrass grows on wet banks of sluggish streams and around
ponds.  On its hydric side it is bordered by tall rushes (Scirpus spp.),
sedges (Carex spp.), and reed grasses (Phragmites spp.).  On the dry
side, there is usually a band of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and
Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis) between prairie cordgrass and big
bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), which dominates the next dryer zone [32].

Prairie cordgrass grows on sites ranging in elevation from 2,100 to
4,000 feet (640 to 1,219 m) in Montana, 4,100 to 6,100 feet (1,250 to
1,859 m) in Wyoming, and 3,500 to 7,000 feet (1,067 to 2,134 m) in
Colorado [7].

Sites where prairie cordgrass has been reported include:  lower, poorly
drained soils and alkaline fens of moraines, till plains, and
floodplains [3,31], pothole borders [4], and around prairie marshes and
along drainage ways through the tall and mixed-grass prairies [9,15,25].



SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Prairie cordgrass forms stable communities on mesic sites, but as
conditions become dry it is eventually replaced by big bluestem.  It is
dominant over extensive areas because of its height and often forms
monocultures by means of its rhizomes [29].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Although prairie cordgrass renews growth rather late, it grows more
rapidly than any of the grasses of the prairie.  By early June in
Missouri, plants are in the fifth or sixth leaf stage and 2 to 3 feet
(0.6-0.9 m) tall.  Plants are at least 2 years old before flowering
stalks appear [29].  Flowering generally occurs from June to October,
with most occurring from August to September [14].  Maximum flowering in
Missouri occurs during mid-August [32].

Related categories for Species: Spartina pectinata | Prairie Cordgrass