World Resources of Spartina townsendii (sensu lato) and Economic Use of Spartina Marshland

A new and vigorous salt marsh grass, thought to be of hybrid origin, was discovered on the shores of Southampton Water, Hampshire in 1870. This grass (Phot. 1) and its derivatives, referred to here collectively as Spartina townsendii (sensu lato) is one of the most widespread salt marsh plants on European coasts today. The rapidity with which S. townsendii (s.l.) colonized coastal mudflats and helped to stabilize their surface attracted wide attention, especially amongst coastal engineers. When it was also realized that the grass could trap and grow up through silt brought in by the tides, so raising marshland levels more rapidly than other species, many introductions of S. townsendii (s.l.) were made in this country and abroad for sea defence and reclamation purposes. It is nearly 100 years since the first discovery of S. townsendii (s.l.), and this seems an appropriate time to evaluate its economic significance, not only because of the substantial period of time involved, but also because methods of tapping the rich resources of estuarine areas are exercising the minds of many people at the present time. This paper gives the results of a resource survey of S. townsendii (s.l.) marsh and brings together available information about the economic use that has been made of this and other estuarine Spartina species. Further, it tries to give the kind of information needed to make sound decisions on whether or not to make further introductions, and on how existing plantations can best be managed or, if necessary, controlled. Nomenclature for the genus Spartina, with the exception of the aggregate species referred to here as S. townsendii (s.l.) (see Hubbard 1965a), is taken from Mobberley (1956); for other species from Clapham, Tutin & Warburg (1962) unless otherwise stated.