Tidal & Wetland Marsh Plants
Salt / Brackish Marsh
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth Cordgrass | Spartina alterniflora | Dominant; ecosystem engineer |
| Saltmeadow Hay | Spartina patens | High marsh; fine-textured |
| Black Needlerush | Juncus roemerianus | Dense brackish stands |
| Saltgrass | Distichlis spicata | High salt marsh |
| Broad-leaved Cattail | Typha latifolia | Fresh to brackish; colonial |
Tidal Freshwater Marsh
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Arrow Arum | Peltandra virginica | Arrow-shaped leaves |
| Pickerelweed | Pontederia cordata | Blue flower spikes |
| Wild Rice | Zizania aquatica | Tall; critical waterfowl food |
| Spatterdock | Nuphar advena | Yellow lily-pad flowers |
| Jewelweed | Impatiens capensis | Orange; touch-me-not seeds |
| American Bur-reed | Sparganium americanum | Ball-shaped fruit heads |
| Broadleaf Arrowhead | Sagittaria latifolia | "Duck potato"; white 3-petal |
| Sweet Flag | Acorus americanus | Aromatic iris-like leaves |
| Lizard's Tail | Saururus cernuus | Nodding white spikes |
Rare / Globally Significant
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensitive Joint-vetch | Aeschynomene virginica | Federally Threatened / S2 | Tidal freshwater; Pamunkey/Mattaponi rivers |
| Parker's Pipewort | Eriocaulon parkeri | S1-S2 | Tidal mudflats |
| Cylindrical Bulrush | Schoenoplectus cylindricus | S1-S3 | Tidal freshwater; very rare |