bunch habit. Gulf cordgrass replaces saltmeadow cordgrass on heavy- 

 textured soils along the southwest Louisiana and Texas coasts. It is 

 a good stabilizer in the zone above MHW and can be propagated in the 

 same general way as saltmeadow cordgrass (Dodd and Webb, 1975). 



(8) Other Plants . There are a number of plants that occur in 

 the salt marshes of this region. Pickleweed (Figs. 16 and 18) is 

 common in the higher parts of the low marsh and often occupies areas of 

 high salt concentration. Sea lavender is present in the higher low 

 marsh. Dropseed, sea oxeye, marsh elder, goldenrod, and sea myrtle 

 (Fig. 19) are common secondary plants of the high marsh. Most of these 

 can be planted but will usually invade planted areas when conditions 

 favor their growth. Saltcedar (Tamarix gallica) is an effective stabi- 

 lizer in the zone above MHW. However, it is propagated by cuttings and 

 requires several years to develop an effective cover. Initial shore 

 stabilization must be by other means. Giant reed (Arundo donax) appears 

 to offer some promise in this zone (Webb and Dodd, 1976). 



d. North Pacific Coast . The species composition of north Pacific 

 coast marshes is more diverse than that on other coasts of the United 

 States. Also, less discrete elevational "zones" of vegetation are form- 

 ed in the less saline marshes of the Pacific Northwest, with a gradual 

 change southward to the southern Pacific coast section between Humboldt 

 Bay and San Francisco (MacDonald and Barbour, 1974) . Little information 

 is available to guide marsh planting in this region. Successful inter- 

 tidal plantings have recently been made in the Columbia River estuary 

 under freshwater conditions (Temyik, 1977). There have been no reports 

 of plantings in brackish or saltwater. 



Few of the relatively large variety of plants found in marshes along 

 this coast presently offer promise for planting purposes. More will 

 probably be foimd useful with further experience. There is no single 

 species such as Pacific cordgrass on the South Pacific and smooth cord- 

 grass on the Atlantic and gulf coasts colonizing and dominating the 

 lowermost, regularly flooded zone of salt marsh vegetation in this 

 region. Also, as pointed out by Chapman (1960), the lower limit of 

 marsh vegetation tends to be farther up in the tidal range from south 

 to north along both the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts. The lower 

 part of the zone, occupied by Pacific cordgrass on the south Pacific 

 coast, probably cannot be planted successfully along the north Pacific 

 coast with the species available. Jefferson (1975) identifies four 

 species, seaside arrowgrass {Trigtodhin maritima) , sedge {Cavex lyng- 

 hyei) , pickleweed, and tufted hair grass as the most important in 

 trapping sediments along the Oregon coast. Pickleweed, sedge, and 

 tufted hair grass are fairly easy to plant. Seaside arrowgrass has 

 been planted on a very limited scale (John Armstrong, biologist, 

 U.S. Army Engineer District, Seattle, personal communication, 1978). 

 The use of this species for marsh plantings should be investigated as 

 it is a frequent and effective pioneer, particularly on silty sub- 

 strates. 



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