(1) Pickleweed . This plant is a frequent colonizer of inter- 

 tidal flats in the more saline waters all along this coast (Figs. 16 

 and 18) . It is a fleshy-stemmed, weedy-type plant that spreads readily 

 vegetatively and by seeds. It invades and covers bare areas rapidly 

 but is unable to persist far down in the tidal range because unlike 

 Pacific cordgrass, farther south, this plant is not equipped to supply 

 oxygen to the roots from the aboveground parts. Pickleweed forms a 

 dense mat above the soil surface, but it is shallow-rooted and is not 



as effective as a stabilizer as some of the grasses and sedges. Pickle- 

 weed is easy to plant, seeds profusely, and often invades disturbed sur- 

 faces the first growing season. It is the most logical plant to use 

 at the low elevations down to slightly below mean low high water (MLHW) 

 where salinities occasionally approach sea strength. It should be sup- 

 plemented with other species at the higher elevations. 



(2) Sedge . Sedge marshes usually occur on silty substrates 

 just above colonizing arrowgrass, down to MTL (Fig. 20) (Jefferson, 

 1973) . This plant is less salt-tolerant than pickleweed and is most 

 likely to occur on river delta marshes. It is both taller and a better 

 stabilizer than pickleweed. It is probably the best choice for planting 

 in the intermediate zone where the salinity is not too high. Sedge is 

 plentiful in this region and relatively easy to transplant (Ternyik, 

 1977). 



Figure 20. Mature Lyngby sedge. 



50 



