.....The water of the low marsh is shallow, silt laden, salty, and warm. These factors decrease the water's capacity to hold dissolved oxygen. Spartina alterniflora and some types of algae are the only plants that can survuve in this zone. Some areas of the low marsh are covered by the tides for most of the day. The mud that makes up the soil in the low marsh has high levels of salinity. A plant that lives in soil that is highly saline is known as a halophyte.

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All plant illustrations on this page are courtesy of Taylor Schoettle's A Guide to a Georgia Barrier Islands. Click here for ordering and contact info.

Common Name: Smooth Cordgrass
Linnaeus Classification: Spartina alterniflora
Description: broad leaf blade, plant size varies with salinity