Sporobolus foliosus
California cord grass
(c) mel letterman, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Sporobolus foliosus (California cord grass) is a native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by very long spikelets, native status, glabrous lemma keel.
California cord grass is a native perennial found in coastal bioregions including North Coast, Central Coast, and Southern Coast in salt marshes, mudflats, and shores at elevations below 10 meters. Flowering from June to November, this plant produces small, dense inflorescences with cylindrical flowering branches 9 to 25 centimeters long. Growing in small clumps with thick stems 60 to 150 centimeters tall, it forms distinctive dense clusters with fleshy internodes. Its leaves are long and flat, 15 to 45 centimeters in length, with approximately 5 ridges per millimeter on upper leaf surfaces. In salt environments, the plant spreads through thick rhizomes 2 to 6 millimeters wide, allowing it to colonize challenging coastal habitats.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 10 sympatric species; key features are very long spikelets, native status, glabrous lemma keel
Habitat and range
Habitat: Salt marshes, mudflats, shores
Elevation: < 10 m
California counties: Orange, San Mateo, Humboldt, Alameda, Los Angeles, Marin, Santa Clara, San Diego, Solano, Contra Costa, Napa, Sonoma, Ventura, Del Norte, San Francisco, San Bernardino
Outside California: Mexico
Bloom period
Sporobolus foliosus blooms Jun-Nov.
How to tell it apart
vs Typha: Typha (cattails) has thick, sausage-like brown flower spikes and wide strap-like leaves, not grass flowers.; vs Distichlis: Distichlis forms stiff colonies in salt marshes with distinctly two-ranked leaves, lacking ciliate sheaths.; vs Muhlenbergia: Sporobolus has fringed hairs on leaf sheath margins; Muhlenbergia sheaths are smooth.; vs Leymus: Leymus has spike-like inflorescences with spikelets in pairs, not the open panicles of Sporobolus.; vs Oloptum: Oloptum has prominent bent awns and plumose hairs; Sporobolus is awnless with ciliate sheaths.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sporobolus foliosus native to California?
Yes. Sporobolus foliosus is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Sporobolus foliosus bloom?
Sporobolus foliosus blooms Jun-Nov.
Where in California does Sporobolus foliosus grow?
Sporobolus foliosus occurs in Orange, San Mateo, Humboldt, Alameda, Los Angeles, Marin, Santa Clara, San Diego and other counties, at elevations of < 10 m.
What plant family does Sporobolus foliosus belong to?
Sporobolus foliosus is in the Poaceae family, genus Sporobolus.
What habitat does Sporobolus foliosus grow in?
Sporobolus foliosus grows in Salt marshes, mudflats, shores.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.