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Oregon Invasive Species Council

October 2009
Invasive Species of the Month
Spartina
Photo by Vanessa Howard Morgan, Portland State University
October 2009 Invasive Species of the Month
Cordgrass (Spartina anglica)
 
 

October calendar events
2009 Oregon Invasive Species Council
calendar events
 


What is Cordgrass?
Native to the eastern United States, Cordgrass was introduced to California and Washington.  Several patches have been discovered and eradicated in Oregon. Cordgrasses are coastal grass species that can invade salt marsh and mud flat habitats. One plant can develop into a large, circular cloned patches of many meters in diameter. Many patches on barren mudflats can spread until no open space remains. Smooth cordgrass is the most dominant non- native cordgrass species in the coastal Pacific Northwest and poses the greatest threat to mudflats crucial to claim and oyster production. Cordgrass alters estuary hydrology and ecosystem functions thought increased sedimentation and accretion the elevation of infested areas several feet.  Thousands of acres of mudflats in the Pacific Northwest, critical to migratory waterfowl, are at risk of invasion.
 
click below for larger image
 

Where?
Coastal areas, estuaries, and mudflats.
Lookalikes
No
What can you do?
If you see this plant, report it immediately at 1-866-INVADER or www.oregoninvasiveshotline.org

Cordgrass Risk Assessment
Risk Assessment (in printable pdf format)
All 2009 calendar months
All months of the 2009 Oregon Invasive Species Calendar