grass at Tijuana Estuary, pending proof 

 that T\ maritima actually occurs there. 

 Arrow grass is the earliest growing 

 species in southern California marshes. 

 It usually sprouts, flowers, and dies to 

 the ground while other marsh plants are 

 just initiating growth. Perhaps its early 

 timing is in response to cool, rainy 

 conditions, while other species are cued 

 to longer daylengths or warmer weather. 

 Patchy distributions are characteristic of 

 the vegetatively reproducing species, 

 while its absence at marshes such as the 

 San Diego River suggest that it has 

 limited establishment ability. 



Frankenia grandifolia (Figure 20), a 

 broad-leaved plant, offers some relief 

 from the monotony of succulents in 

 southern California marshes. However, 

 when its small lavender flowers are absent 

 or dry, or when saline conditions have 

 caused its leaves to fold, it too blends 

 in with the pickleweed, saltwort, and 

 Jaumea . The species appears to be 

 somewhat more salt tolerant than drought 

 tolerant, as suggested by its recent 

 decline in the upper marsh of Los 

 Penasquitos Lagoon. It was abundant, 

 along with saltgrass ( Distichlis spicata ), 

 during the late 1970's, but has nearly 

 disappeared from the higher elevations 

 under conditions of brackish, dry soils. 

 It persists, however, in the adjacent 

 lower marsh, where soils are becoming 

 hypersaline but remain moist. 



Saltgrass ( Distichlis spicata . Figure 

 21), enjoys a broad distribution, both 

 ecologically and geographically. In 

 southern California it occurs in dunes, in 

 middle to high marsh elevations, and is 

 sometimes abundant in adjacent salt flats 

 which are entirely cut off from tidal 

 circulation. Its success in the upper 

 marsh at Los Penasquitos and other 

 locations (e.g. Upper Newport Bay, 

 Stevenson and Emery 1958) may be due to 

 its greater drought tolerance than other 

 potential competitors. Within the 

 intertidal marshes, it rarely forms dense 

 patches, but it can achieve nearly pure 

 stands and high biomass (4 to 6 kg/m2 in 



Figure 20. Frankenia grandifolia . Top 

 photo by D. Fink; close-up illustration 

 by J. DeWald (scale = 1 cm); bottom 

 photo by J. Zedler. 



29 



