ERADICATE

Spartina anglica

Family: Poaceae (Grass).

Other Common Names: None.

Origin: Hybrid of S. maritima (England) and S. alterniflora (E. North America).

Growth Form/Reproduction: Rhizomatous perennial. Seed, rhizomes and vegetative fragments.

Legal Status: None.

Impacts:
Agricultural: Not a problem on agricultural lands.
Ecological: Colonizing plant that potential can displace native plants of coastal salt marshes. Colonizes open, tidal flats creating salt-water marshes, which can affect habitat and food resources for fish, birds and other marine life.
Human: Can interfere with recreational activities.

Habitat: Salt tolerant. High marsh zone to intertidal mudflat.

Status and Distribution: Reported in the Fraser River Delta at Roberts Bank and Boundary Bay. None reported on Vancouver Island.

Management Strategy: Eradicate while populations are small and easily controlled. Small populations can be controlled with manual pulling of seedlings or digging of established plants, taking care to remove all rhizomes. Scattered plants can be killed by burning with a hand-held propane torch. Mowing can be effective but must start at initial green up and continue until fall die back and must be continued 3 to 4 years. Small clones can be killed by mowing followed by covering with woven fabric; fabric must extend at least a meter beyond the edge of the clone and must be left in place 1 to 2 growing seasons. No biocontrol agents are presently available.