Prairie CordgrassSpartina pectinata
Hardy, coarse, densely colonial, native, perennial grass 5-7' tall. Prairie cord grass is an excellent soil stabilizer of shores, stream banks, slopes, buffers and vegetated swales due to the large rhizomatous mass it creates. It is well suited to restore wetlands, marshes, wet meadows and wet prairies as well as shorelines. It is an aggressive plant that may be desirable to compete with non-native and invasive species or to revegetate a site quickly to prevent erosion.
USDA symbol: SPPE
General Information
| Plant Type | Grass |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 feet |
| Light Exposure | Sun, Part Sun |
| Soil Moisture | Medium |
| Bloom Color | White, Purple, Green, Brown |
Tolerances
| Flooding / Inundation Tolerance | High |
|---|---|
| General Resilience | 9 |
| Salt Tolerance | Low |
| Stress Tolerance | Fire Tolerant, General Disturbance |
Pollinator Value: Low
| Bloom Months | August to October |
|---|---|
| Larval Host of | Moths |
| Specific Pollinators Hosted | Aethes spartinana, Photedes enervata, Photedes inops, Resapamea stipata |
Project Planning
| Project Type | Boulevard, Erosion Control, Restoration, Sandy or Engineered Soils, Shoreline Buffer |
|---|---|
| Coefficient of Conservatism | 4 |
| Herbivore Sensitivity | Medium |
| Lifespan | Perennial |
| Rate of Spread | Medium |
| Soil Stabilization | Deep |
| Vegetative Reproduction | Clonal |
Range
| County | Aitkin, Anoka, Becker, Benton, Blue Earth, Brown, Carlton, Carver, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cottonwood, Crow Wing, Dakota, Dodge, Douglas, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Grant, Hennepin, Houston, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac qui Parle, Lake, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Mahnomen, Marshall, Martin, McLeod, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pine, Pipestone, Polk, Pope, Ramsey, Red Lake, Redwood, Renville, Rice, Rock, Sherburne, Sibley, St. Louis, Stearns, Steele, Stevens, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wabasha, Wadena, Waseca, Washington, Watonwan, Wilkin, Winona, Wright, Yellow Medicine |
|---|---|
| Ecoregion | Driftless Area, Lake Agassiz Plain, North Central Hardwood Forests, Northern Glaciated Plains, Northern Lakes and Forests, Northern Minnesota Wetlands, Western Cornbelt Plains |
| Approximate Eco Province | Eastern Broadleaf Forest, Laurentian Mixed Forest, Prairie Parkland, Tallgrass Aspen Parklands |