Dense-flowered Cordgrass Spartina densiflora Removal
9th Season Denman Island
The most significant foreshore and salt marsh salt sites of Denman Island, colonized by the invasive marine grass Spartina densiflora, were walked in October 2021. The total number of S. densiflora plant bunches1 (hereafter referred to as ‘plants’) removed was 19. One more than the number removed in the fall of 2020. A couple of plants had 1-3 seed heads with a partial loss of a few seeds, but no significant seed formation had occurred on these relatively small plants. Also, as found previously at this time of year, two plants were in flower.
1 Spartina densiflora is a ‘bunch’ grass. The seeds tend to root together creating clumps or bunches of shoots that appear to be one plant but can often be separated into several individual plants. Thus, the general term ‘plant bunch’ is actually a more accurate term to use for these ‘removals’. On Denman they are classed by size based on the number of major stems.
for the full (3 page pdf) report by J.Balke RPBio click Spartina Fall 2021 Report
