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)?

Native Plant Trust

Not Sponsored

Assigned 06/09/17

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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Lake Champlain Beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata) Characteristics

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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