Everglades National Park Grasses: Sawgrass, Sloughgrass, Cordgrass, Muhly, and Bluestem

The Everglades' "River of Grass" is dominated by graminoids adapted to its unique hydrology—seasonal sheet flow, nutrient-poor marl/peat soils, and fire regimes. Five key grasses define its habitats:

1. Sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) – The Iconic Dominant

• Not a true grass (sedge family Cyperaceae).
• Forms vast **sawgrass prairies** (marl prairies)—the Everglades' signature landscape.
• Tall (2–3 m / 6–10 ft), sharp serrated edges (silica phytoliths), rhizomatous.
• Tolerates flooding (6–12 months), fire, low nutrients, brackish water.
• Critical habitat: apple snails → snail kites; alligator nests; wading bird foraging.

2. Sloughgrass / Gulf Cordgrass (Spartina bakeri)

• True grass (Poaceae). Dominates **wet prairies and sloughs** (deeper, longer hydroperiod).
• Tall (1.5–2 m / 5–6 ft), coarse, bunch-forming.
• High salt tolerance; bridges freshwater/marine zones.
• Nesting for birds; fuel for prescribed fire.

3. Saltmeadow Cordgrass / Saltmarsh Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora / S. patens)

• Coastal **salt marshes** (mangrove ecotone).
• S. alterniflora (tall, low marsh); S. patens (short, high marsh).
• Foundation species—traps sediment, builds land, supports detritus food web.

4. Muhly Grass / Gulf Muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris)

• Native bunchgrass; **pinelands, marl prairies, rockland hammocks** (drier, rocky).
• Short (0.5–1 m / 2–3 ft), fine-textured, spectacular pink-purple fall inflorescences.
• Fire-adapted; indicator of healthy pine rockland.

5. Bushy Bluestem / Bushy Beardgrass (Andropogon glomeratus)

• Native bunchgrass; **wet prairies, slough margins, disturbed sites**.
• Tall (1–2 m / 3–6 ft), dense, fluffy white seed heads in fall.
• Tolerates seasonal flooding, acid soils; colonizes after fire/drainage.

These grasses structure the Everglades' mosaic—each a sentinel of hydrology, fire history, and restoration success.