Crops Cordgrasses (Spartina spp.)

Cordgrasses are perennial grasses from Western Europe, Africa and North America. They are pioneer colonists of muddy coastal salt flats, spreading by means of the scaly creeping rhizomes to form clumps and mats which help to reduce erosion and reclaim land from the sea. The leaves are long and narrow, sometimes inrolled and with a hard point; the stems are stiffly erect, attaining up to 130 cm in some species, bearing yellowish flower-spikes in late summer and autumn. Some experimental plantings of North American species in the United Kingdom have given yields equivalent to 15-20 t per ha of dry matter annually; Spartina spp. are expected to be able to produce good yields of biomass in poor soil conditions, and further evaluation is continuing.

This entry forms part of the publication Crops for Industry and Energy in Europe

References:

Chisholm, C J (Ed) (1994) Towards a UK Research Strategy For Alternative Crops. Silsoe: Silsoe Research Institute.

Hubbard, C E (1968) Grasses (2nd Edn). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd