extensive saltmeadows of New England that were formerly mown for hay. 

 This grass also occurs at higher elevations on sandflats and low dunes 

 where growth is sparse. It has salt glands and is more salt-tolerant 

 than typical dune species but less tolerant than smooth cordgrass. 



Saltmeadow cordgrass can withstand extended periods of both flood- 

 ing and drought, and often occurs where surface drainage is poor, 

 causing ponding of rainwater during wet periods. It cannot tolerate 

 the daily flooding of the intertidal zone. Productivity can be high 

 but this species' contribution to the detrital food chain is much less 

 direct than that of smooth cordgrass. 



Saltmeadow cordgrass is a valuable stabilizer for the zone between 

 the smooth cordgrass and the high spring or storm tide line or the zone 

 of adaptation of the upland grasses such as tall fescue {Festuca arundi- 

 naoed) , bermuda {Cynodon daotylon) , and St. Augustine {Stenotaphrum 

 seaundatum) . It is relatively easy to multiply and transplant. 



(3) Black Needle Rush (Junaus voemerianus) . Black needle rush 

 has stems and leaves that are round in cross section, rigid, with sharp- 

 pointed tips capable of penetrating the skin (Figs. 2 and 11). Dense 

 stands have a brown to gray-black appearance with little change in 

 color throughout the year. Height ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 meters. This 

 plant occurs extensively along the Atlantic coast south of New England 

 as high marsh just above MHW, flooded only by wind-driven tides. It 

 also grows in mixture with smooth cordgrass and saltmeadow cordgrass, 

 and in extensive stands near the edge of the uplands where there is 

 regularly seepage of freshwater. Productivity of black needle rush 



can be fairly high; however, there is little transfer of biomass from 

 these marshes to the estuary as old growth tends to remain standing for 

 1 year or more. Much of the production goes into peat formation rather 

 than the estuarine food chain. This plant is a good stabilizer. Al- 

 though difficult to propagate, it readily invades areas stabilized by 

 the cordgrasses wherever conditions favor it. 



(4) Black-grass (Junous gerardi) . Stems of this rush grow 20 

 to 60 centimeters tall with leaf sheaths extending about halfway up 

 the culm. Leaves are up to 20 centimeters long and are soft and green. 

 Culms grow in small tufts. Rhizomes and stolons are slender, dark, and 

 horizontally spreading. It has not been planted for marsh building but 

 probably will volunteer where adapted. 



(5) Saltgrass jDistiahlis spioata) . This grass is widely dis- 

 tributed in high marshes along the Atlantic coast. It is a low-growing 

 grass (0.1 to 0.4 meter high), with a pale or whitish-green cast (Fig. 

 12). It is rarely dominant except in small poorly drained, more saline 

 patches, and usually occurs mixed with saltmeadow cordgrass or rushes. 

 Saltgrass is an effective stabilizer and is more salt tolerant than 

 other high marsh species (Chabreck, 1972) . It is more difficult to 



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