Grasses: Coastal Sites - Sandy Beaches & Dunes
What are they?
This page aims to make the identification of grasses a little easier by bringing together the commoner species that are likely to be found in a particular habitat. This should help you to learn the more likely species that you will come across, though it should always be remembered that occasional individuals of other species may turn up in unexpected places from time to time.
Where are they found?
These species are found largely in coastal habitats and this page covers sandy beaches and coastal sand dunes. Extensive tracts of sand dune and sandy beach can be found along much of the North Norfolk Coast from Heacham to Blakeney Point and again from Mundesley south to Kessingland. Smaller areas of sand dune continue southward along the Suffolk Coast, behind the shingle beaches. Many of these areas area cut off abruptly by coastal protection measures landward, but on much of the North Norfolk Coast, they merge into saltmarsh or shingle beach habitats and in some areas the sand dunes contain important dune slack habitats which may contain a few other grass species, especially where these areas hold water for part of the year.
Identification
Identifying grasses successfully requires at least a basic knowledge of the plant parts and thus it's useful to know the names of these parts (it's much easier mentioning lemmas and glumes if one doesn't have to describe where they are every time!) To assist in this, you can click here to reference a page that gives details of these features. A good rule of thumb when working through the identification of any plant is to work from bottom to top with the whole plant and from outside to the middle with the flower parts (so - root, stem, leaf, flowers... sepal, petal, stamen, stigma) and this rule is generally followed here, though of course grass flowers have glumes, lemma, palea, stamens, stigma.
One important point to remember with grasses is that the flower spike can look very different according to how far along the process from flowering to setting seed that it is. Many species begin with a tight, rod-like cluster which opens out when in full flower and then closes back up again after pollination. Thus, it is important to look carefully at the parts of the florets (individual flowers) regardless of the shape of the overall flower spike, just to be sure. To get around this variability, botany books often write descriptions of grasses when they are said to be 'at anthesis'. This simply means at the point that the anthers open to release the pollen and this ensures that we are always looking at the flowers at the same point in their development. Grasses can still be identified outside of this point, but you need to understand that the overall spike might look different (the smaller flower parts will generally not change much, however). To simplify this a little, I have used the terms 'early flower spike/spikelets/florets' for spikes where the flowers have not yet reached anthesis; 'flowering spike' for plants at or around anthesis; 'late flower spike' for spikes where the flowers have passed anthesis and are progressing towards seed set. Where these terms are not used, you can assume that the flower spike doesn't change significantly in appearance over the course of the flowering period.
While this page contains the species that you are most likely to come across in most situations, it should be noted that most of them have look-alike, closely-related species. Therefore, it is recommended that you follow the link given for each species to the page where it will be compared in greater detail with possible confusion species, as a way of confirming your identification.
Sea Couch Elymus athericus
A native perennial, common to abundant in a wide range of coastal grassy places, especially on coastal floodbanks and at the upper limit of saltmarsh habitat, where it can form extensive monocultures. Flowers June to August. Plants 30-120cm in height, forming extensive colonies and often laid over by the weather. Plants typically strongly glaucous (blue-grey). Leaf blades 2-6mm wide, hairless, slightly ridged on the upper side, the ridges having flat (not rounded) tops. Leaf sheaths rounded and hairless on the upper leaves, downy on the lower leaves, with the sheaths of the lower leaves having a row of minute hairs along their exposed margin. Ligule membranous, very short. Flower spike upright and rather stiff. Spikelets 10-20mm with 3-10 florets, alternating from one side to the other along a sinuous central stem, with the flat face of the spikelets facing the central stem, like clapping hands. Lemmas blunt or pointed at the tip, awnless, or sometimes with an awn to 10mm in length. Best told from Common Couch (Elymus repens) by the flat-topped leaf ridges and the minute bristles on the margin of the leaf sheaths. Compare with other couches.
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Sand Couch Thinopyrum junceiforme
A native perennial, frequent in sandy, coastal habitats. Flowers June to August. Plants 20-60cm in height, forming rather open colonies of stems from creeping rhizomes. Plants typically glaucous (blue-grey). Leaf blades 2-6mm wide, hairless below, slightly ridged on the upper side, with the veins covered in minute hairs. Leaf sheaths rounded and hairless, without auricles. Ligule membranous, short and bluntly rounded. Flower spike upright or slightly arched. Spikelets 15-28mm with 3-8 florets, alternating from one side to the other along a sinuous central stem, with the flat face of the spikelets facing the central stem, like clapping hands. Lemmas 11-20mm, blunt or slightly notched at the tip with a minute spike. Compare with other couches.
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Lyme-grass Leymus arenarius
A native perennial, favouring sand dunes but also quite widespread on shingle and occasionally on low sea cliffs. Flowers July to August. Robust plants, growing to 150cm (sometimes more) in height, forming spreading clumps. Plants strongly glaucous (blue-grey). Leaf blades 8-20mm wide, ridged on the upper side, the ridges slightly rough. Leaf sheaths rounded and hairless. Ligule stiffly membranous, very short. Flower spike upright and rather stiff, 15-35cm in length. Spikelets 20-32mm with 3-6 florets, usually joined in pairs. Lemmas tough, pointed at the tip, awnless.
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European Marram Calamagrostis arenaria
(Ammophila arenaria) A native perennial, abundant on coastal dunes. Flowers June to August. Robust plants, growing to 150cm in height, spreading extensively via underground rhizomes and eventually forming large clumps. Plants greyish-green. Leaf blades up to 6mm wide, strongly inrolled, ridged on the upper side, the ridges covered in minute hairs. Leaf sheaths smooth and overlapping. Ligules prominent, 10-30mm in length and tapering to a point. Flower spike upright or slightly arched, cylindrical, 7-22cm in length. Spikelets 10-16mm, closely overlapping and each with a single floret. Lemmas 8-12mm, pointed at the tip, keeled, awnless. A very important coastal grass, being a coloniser of sandy places near the sea, where its presence traps wind-blown sand and begins the process of sand dune formation.
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Annual Meadow-grass Poa annua
A native annual or short-lived perennial found in all types of open ground, bare patches in lawns, gravel drives, cracks in walls and pavements etc. Flowers more or less throughout the year, but especially from late November to June. Leaves hairless, pointed at the tip or slightly rounded and hooded, 1-5mm wide. Flower spike open and spreading at anthesis and remaining open at fruiting. Spikelets densely packed with 3-10 florets. Plants in dry places can be very small and compact, but more open and spreading in shady or wetter places. Compare with other meadow-grasses.
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Bulbous Meadow-grass Poa bulbosa
A native perennial that can be common but easily overlooked on coastal sand dunes and a few sandy sites inland. Flowers March to May. Plants 5-30cm in height according to habitat (typically very small in coastal sands). Leaves hairless, abruptly pointed at the tip, 0.5-2mm wide, grey-green over winter but soon becoming purplish then withering by late spring. Leaf ligule membranous, up to 4mm long. Flower spike open and spreading at anthesis and remaining open at fruiting. Spikelets with 1-5 florets. A distinctive plant, but tiny and easily overlooked. Plants soon wither by late spring and with the drying out of the sand over summer, the bulbous-based plantlets can get dislodged and are dispersed by the wind. With autumn rains, the plantlets form new roots and leaves and are wintergreen. Compare with other meadow-grasses.
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Sand Cat's-tail Phleum arenarium
A native annual, found on coastal sand dunes and in sandy places in Breckland. Flowers May to July. Plants small, 1-15cm in height. Leaves 2-4mm wide, pale green, flat, pointed at the tip. Leaf sheaths rounded, the uppers slightly inflated. Ligule membranous, up to 7mm long. Flower spike very dense, 5-50mm in length. Spikelets 3-4mm, each with a single floret. Glumes relatively large, equal, enclosing the floret, with a row of comb-like bristles on each margin. Lemmas only about one third the length of the glumes. Compare with other Cat's-tails & Foxtails.
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Early Hair-grass Aira praecox
A native annual, widespread on a wide range of dry and sandy or acidic soils, including on walls and dry banks; most common on acid heaths and dunes. Flowers April to June - one of the first grasses to flower in the spring. Plants 3-10cm in height, usually tussocky but sometimes solitary stems in difficult growing conditions. Leaves 0.3-0.5mm wide, narrow, inrolled and blunt at the tip. Leaf sheaths rounded. Ligule membranous, rounded at the tip. Flower spike compact, 0.5-5cm in length. Spikelets 2.5-4mm, each with 2 florets. Glumes relatively large, 2.5-4mm, enclosing the florets. Lemmas awned. Compare with other grasses of dry, heathy places.
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Grey Hair-grass Corynephorus canescens
A native perennial, confined to sand dunes where wind-blown sand is available in coastal Norfolk and Suffolk and in Suffolk Breckland. Flowers June to July. Plants 10-35cm in height, densely tussock-forming. Leaves 0.3-0.5mm wide, narrow, inrolled, rather stiff and sharply pointed at the tip. Leaf sheaths usually purple-tinted, contrasting with the blue-green leaves. Ligule membranous, 2-4mm long, pointed at the tip. Flower spike open at anthesis, closing tightly after pollination, usually purple-tinted, 1.5-8cm in length. Spikelets 3-4mm, each with 2 florets. Glumes relatively large, 2.5-4mm, enclosing the florets. Lemmas 1.5-2mm long with a tiny, but highly distinctive, blunt-tipped awn hidden by the glume. One of our rarest native grasses and Red Data List species.
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Common Sheep's Fescue Festuca ovina
A native perennial, Very common in a wide range of dry soils, both chalky and acidic. Flowers May to July. Plants to 50cm in height and forming dense tussocks. Leaf blades very narrow, 0.6-1.4mm wide, hairless, greyish-green to green, blunt at the tip and tightly inrolled. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth, with rounded auricles and a very short ligule. Flower spike upright, spreading at anthesis, later closing up. Spikelets 5.3-7.2mm with 2-9 florets, upper glume 2.7-4.2mm, lemmas 3.3-4.9mm, with an awn 0.2-1.6mm long. Compare with other fescues.
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Rush-leaved Fescue Festuca arenaria
A native perennial, generally rare but locally frequent in coastal sites, especially where Marram grows. Flowers June to July. Plants 20-90cm in height with loosely scattered stems. Leaf blades upto 5mm wide, glaucous (blue-grey), with a stiff, sharp tip and densely hairy on the veins. Leaf sheaths fused almost to apex, smooth, with a short ligule 0.5-4mm long. Flower spike upright to slightly drooping, spreading at anthesis, later closing up. Spikelets 10-18mm, flattened, with 4-12 florets, upper glume 3.5-10.mm, lemmas 6-10mm, downy, with an awn up to 2.6mm long. The distinctly hairy lemmas are a useful identification feature.
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Saltmarsh Red Fescue Festuca rubra subsp. litoralis
A native perennial, very common in coastal habitats along creek levees and at the upper edge of saltmarsh, or where shingle underlies saltmarsh, giving a firmer substrate. Flowers June to August. Plants to 50cm in height with rather short rhizomes and forming dense colonies of stems. Leaf blades narrow, 1.2-2mm wide according to subspecies, hairless, finely pointed at the tip, typically folded. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth, fused together more or less to the top and hiding the minuscule ligule. Flower spike spreading at anthesis, often slightly drooping towards the tip when young. Spikelets 8.7-11.2mm, upper glume 4.3-6.2mm, lemmas 5.7-8mm, shortly awned. Note that other forms of Red Fescue may occur, especially where saltmarsh or shingle interfaces with grazing marsh. Compare with other fescues.
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Squirreltail Fescue Vulpia bromoides
A native annual, widespread on dry, usually sandy, soils. Flowers May to July. Plants 5-60cm in height, stems clustered, or single in drier sites. Leaf blades 0.5-3mm wide, flat or inrolled, downy above, rough on the margins. Leaf sheaths rounded and smooth. Ligule membranous, up to 0.5mm in length. Flower spike with upright or slightly spreading branches, with many spikelets, or reduced to two or even just a single spikelet in dry ground. Spikelets 7-14mm long, with 5-10 florets. Lower glume 2.5-5mm long, half to three-quarters the length of the upper glume. Lemmas 5-7mm long with a long and slender awn to 13mm in length. As it's scientific name suggests, this little grass looks rather like a cross between a fescue and a brome. Compare with other fescues.
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Common Cock's-foot Dactylis glomerata
A native perennial, common to abundant in many kinds of grassy places and commonly found in coastal dunes. Flowers June to September. Plants 15-140cm in height, typically densely tussock-forming. Leaf blades 2-14mm wide, greyish-green, coarse, folded at first but opening flat. Leaf sheaths strongly keeled (due to flattened stems), hairless but rough to the touch. Ligule membranous, medium to long. Flower spike consisting of one or two, well-spaced lower branches and a cluster of short branches at the top, the lower branches at right angles during anthesis and folding up with age. Spikelets 5-9mm with 2-5 florets, the spikelets tightly bunched in one-sided clusters. Lemmas tightly packed, elongated and sharp-pointed with a stiff awn. A very distinctive species once learned.
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Common Reed Phragmites australis
A native perennial, common to abundant in all kinds of damp places and often extending into beaches and dunes from nearby fresh or brackish areas. Flowers August to October. Plants 100-300cm in height with strong, creeping rhizomes that produce dense, single-species stands. Leaf blades 10-30mm wide, grey-green, hairless, flat and long-pointed. Leaf sheaths rounded, usually smooth, strongly overlapping around the stem. Ligule a line of long, white hairs. Flower spike narrow when young, spreading before anthesis and remaining open with age; a feathery panicle containing large numbers of spikelets. Spikelets 10-16mm, long and narrow, purplish and with 2-6 florets. Lemmas awnless but finely pointed.
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