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Family: Poaceae
Common name: Saltgrass
Other names: Seashore Saltgrass, Inland Saltgrass, Desert Saltgrass, Spike Grass
Saltgrass is a low stiff perennial, 4-16 inches high. This grass has straight vertical stems with leaves tapering to sharp points and arranged in two opposite rows. It reproduces by seed and by sending out long underground horizontal rootstocks approximately 6 inches deep. This vigorous, asexual reproduction results in large circular clones of genetically identical individuals. |
| Distribution |
| Saltgrass is found in a wide a range of habitats, as shown by the figure to the right. Most commonly, it is found in areas where there are salt marshes. Locally, it is commonly found around the Great Salt Lake. Salt grass can also grow in moister zones of the upland desert shrub community and is frequently found associated with greasewood. On the Great Salt Lake, salt grass can be seen in a distinct zone, which is above the pickleweed zone with slightly lower salinity. |
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| Climate |
| Saltgrass requires a good supply of water and it grows rapidly in warm and wet areas where the soil salinity is between 0.1%-1.5%. This plant can tolerate salinity of up to 3%. The way that saltgrass has adapted to the high amount of salinity is by having salt secreting glands on the surface of its leaves. These glands secrete the extra salt taken up by the roots and delivered to the leaves by the vascular system of the plant. Salt crystals on the surface of the leaves can be observed through the use of a hand lens or microscope. Moreover, the saltgrass has a special type of photosynthetic mechanism called C4 photosynthesis, which allows it to be efficient in how it accumulated carbon dioxide and loses water from its leaves. |
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| Importance |
| Saltgrass is an ecological producer and uses energy from the sun to power the synthesis of organic compounds. Saltgrass is an important food source for the birds and insects of the Great Salt Lake. It provides food for the meadow vole and provides shelter for the spiders, grasshoppers and other insects of the Great Salt Lake. Saltgrass forms large dense areas of grass which are used by animals to hide from predators and in which to nest. For example, the Savanna sparrowand the meadow vole use the saltgrass zone for hiding from predators such as the northern harrier. The meadow voles make extensive tunnel systems in the saltgrass zone where they hide, and in the spring they eat the young grass shoots. |
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| Additional Resources |
| A great overall summary of this plant is available here in PDF form, and a full analysis can be found online here. |
| Brandon Butler, 2010 |
Image Credits:
http://www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=DISP
http://sercblog.si.edu/?cat=4
http://huntbot.andrew.cmu.edu/usda/07/6725.0700.jpg
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