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Plant Profile

Lake Champlain Beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata)

  • Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
  • Legal Status: N/A
  • Family: Poaceae
  • State: BC, CA, CT, DE, IL, IN, LB, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NB, NC, NF, NH, NJ, NS, NY, OH, ON, PA, PE, QC, RI, SC, VA, VT, WI
  • Nature Serve ID: 154157
  • Lifeform: Graminoid
  • Date Inducted in National Collection:
Description:

American Beach Grass is a perennial grass found on beaches or sand dunes. Mature plants are between 2-4 feet tall and spread vegetatively forming large colonies. Each plant grows as a small clump with leaf blades that split near the base of plant. American Beach Grass blooms in late spring and summer. Its flowering spikes are long and skinny, measuring 6-14 inches long and less than an inch wide. (Hilty 2017) American Beach Grass is found on the West and East coasts of North America, and on the margins of the Great Lakes. Despite this seemingly large range, is of conservation concern because it is restricted to very sandy, beach and dune habitats. It plays a significant role in these habitats by stabilizing the sand dunes, which eventually allows other species to colonize the habitat as well. (USDA and NRCS 2017, TWC Staff 2017) Nancy Sather of MN suggested this taxon for inclusion in the MWRTF Action Plan.

Where is Lake Champlain Beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata) located in the wild?

States & Provinces:

Lake Champlain Beachgrass can be found in British Columbia, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Labrador, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Newfoundland, North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin

Which CPC Partners conserve Lake Champlain Beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata)?

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

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Nomenclature
Taxon Ammophila breviligulata
Authority Fern.
Family Poaceae
CPC Number 16008
ITIS 40448
USDA AMBR
Duration Perennial
Common Names American Beachgrass
Associated Scientific Names Ammophila arenaria var. breviligulata | Ammophila breviligulata | Ammophila breviligulata subsp. breviligulata
Distribution
State Rank
State State Rank
British Columbia SNA
California SNA
Connecticut SNR/SU
Delaware S5
Illinois S1
Indiana S3
Labrador S1
Massachusetts SNR/SU
Maryland SNR/SU
Maine SNR/SU
Michigan SNR/SU
Minnesota S2
New Brunswick S5
North Carolina S3
Newfoundland S3
New Hampshire S2
New Jersey S4
Nova Scotia S5
New York S1
Ohio S2
Ontario S4
Pennsylvania S2
Prince Edward Island S5
Quebec S4
Rhode Island SNR/SU
South Carolina SNR/SU
Virginia S5
Vermont S1
Wisconsin SNR/SU
Ecological Relationships

Photos

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