Distichlis spicata

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Distichlis spicata

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Chloridoideae
Genus:	Distichlis Raf.
Species:	D. spicata

Binomial name

Distichlis spicata
(L.) Greene

Synonyms

Distichlis stricta
Uniola stricta

Distichlis spicata is a species of grass known by several common names, including seashore saltgrass, inland saltgrass, and desert saltgrass. This grass is native to the Americas, where it is widespread. It can be found on other continents as well, where it is naturalized. This is a hardy perennial with rhizomes and sometimes stolons. It is an erect grass which occasionally approaches half a meter in height but is generally shorter. The solid, stiff stems have narrow grass leaves up to 10 centimeters in length, which may be crusted with salt in saline environments. This species is dioecious, meaning the male flowers and female flowers grow on separate individuals. The pistillate inflorescence may be up to 8 centimeters long, with green or purple-tinted spikelets. The staminate flowers look quite similar, thinner but larger overall and more dense. The flower parts of both sexes may be bright pinkish-purple. This plant grows easily in salty and alkaline soils, excreting salts from its tissues via salt glands. It thrives along coastlines and on salt flats and disturbed soils, as well as forest, woodland, and scrub habitats. It can form monotypic stands which can be very dense, and it often forms clonal colonies in which individuals support each other's physiologies. Populations of non-clonal individuals tend to have a majority of one sex or the other. The grass forms sod with its hearty root system. Its rhizomes have sharp points which allow it to penetrate hard soils and aerenchymatous tissues which allow it to grow underwater and in mud. This stiff, coarse grass is a poor forage for grazing animals. It is occasionally consumed by waterfowl and a few fish and crustacean species, but it is more important as a cover and shelter for such animals.