Seaside arrowgrass, sea arrow-grass • Triglochin maritima
Identification
This somewhat fleshy perennial species grows to 120 cm tall. It bears small green flowers with feathery reddish stigmas (purple in the above photos). These flowers are clustered via short stalks along the length of the flowering stem. They bear 6 flower scales and 6 stamens (photo: unopened flowers). The leaves are all basal, sheathing along the base of the stem, and are long, thin, and somewhat flattened. This plant may grow in large clumps.
Click here for a more detailed description and some helpful illustrations.
Habitat & Range
Seaside arrowgrass is aquatic or semi-aquatic; it grows in wet habitats such as tidal marshes, mudflats, ponds, wet meadows, and sloughs at low elevations. It is a common species in BC south of 55 degrees North, and is present but less common further north. Its range stretches across much of North America (range map). It is also found in areas of Eurasia, North Africa, and South America.
Similar Species
Marsh arrowgrass (Triglochin palustris) and slender arrowgrass (T. concinna) are both smaller (less than 30 cm) and less common (and slender arrowgrass is a red-listed species in BC).
Human Uses
The fleshy inner leaf-bases of seaside arrowgrass are a traditional food for multiple First Nations groups. The can taste like cucumber if eaten raw at the right stage. WARNING - this plant contains cyanogenic glycosides, which can produce cyanide when chewed. Poisoning can sometimes be fatal and primarily occurs with livestock, particularly ruminants like cattle and sheep. See the Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility's note on seaside arrowgrass for more information.
Intriguing Info
According to Fogel et al. (2004), seaside arrowgrass can facilitate plant diversity in salt marsh habitats. The structure of its rhizomes creates elevated rings around the plant; this increase in height results in increased habitat heterogeneity, as other species growing in the raised areas around the plant experience lower salinity and less stress due to waterlogging. This increase in habitat heterogeneity encourages increased species diversity.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/60264-Triglochin-maritima
This somewhat fleshy perennial species grows to 120 cm tall. It bears small green flowers with feathery reddish stigmas (purple in the above photos). These flowers are clustered via short stalks along the length of the flowering stem. They bear 6 flower scales and 6 stamens (photo: unopened flowers). The leaves are all basal, sheathing along the base of the stem, and are long, thin, and somewhat flattened. This plant may grow in large clumps.
Click here for a more detailed description and some helpful illustrations.
Habitat & Range
Seaside arrowgrass is aquatic or semi-aquatic; it grows in wet habitats such as tidal marshes, mudflats, ponds, wet meadows, and sloughs at low elevations. It is a common species in BC south of 55 degrees North, and is present but less common further north. Its range stretches across much of North America (range map). It is also found in areas of Eurasia, North Africa, and South America.
Similar Species
Marsh arrowgrass (Triglochin palustris) and slender arrowgrass (T. concinna) are both smaller (less than 30 cm) and less common (and slender arrowgrass is a red-listed species in BC).
Human Uses
The fleshy inner leaf-bases of seaside arrowgrass are a traditional food for multiple First Nations groups. The can taste like cucumber if eaten raw at the right stage. WARNING - this plant contains cyanogenic glycosides, which can produce cyanide when chewed. Poisoning can sometimes be fatal and primarily occurs with livestock, particularly ruminants like cattle and sheep. See the Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility's note on seaside arrowgrass for more information.
Intriguing Info
According to Fogel et al. (2004), seaside arrowgrass can facilitate plant diversity in salt marsh habitats. The structure of its rhizomes creates elevated rings around the plant; this increase in height results in increased habitat heterogeneity, as other species growing in the raised areas around the plant experience lower salinity and less stress due to waterlogging. This increase in habitat heterogeneity encourages increased species diversity.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/60264-Triglochin-maritima
References
Fogel, B.M., Crain, C.M., and Bertness, M.D. (2004). Community level engineering effects of Triglochin maritima (seaside arrowgrass) in a salt marsh in northern New England, USA. Journal of Ecology. 92(4), 589-597. DOI: 10.1111/j.0022-0477.2004.00903.x
Government of Canada (2009). Notes on poisoning: seaside arrow-grass. Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed 12/02/2014.
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (1994). Plants of Coastal British Columbia. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 334.
Triglochin maritima L. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 12/02/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).
Fogel, B.M., Crain, C.M., and Bertness, M.D. (2004). Community level engineering effects of Triglochin maritima (seaside arrowgrass) in a salt marsh in northern New England, USA. Journal of Ecology. 92(4), 589-597. DOI: 10.1111/j.0022-0477.2004.00903.x
Government of Canada (2009). Notes on poisoning: seaside arrow-grass. Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed 12/02/2014.
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (1994). Plants of Coastal British Columbia. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 334.
Triglochin maritima L. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 12/02/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).