Salt Hay

The general term salt hay is also called thatch grass or salt meadow grass. Its Latin name is Spartina alternifloria. It blooms from July to August.

Thatch grass grows 1 — 4 feet high. Its leaves are 6 inches to 18 inches long. It has a hollow stem. In the summer, it produces little yellow blossoms. It is the principle grass lining the shores of salt water bays and creeks. The root system reduces the salt content of the water and expels the salt through the leaves. It is harvested in the fall and winter. It was used for thatched roofs, animal bedding, and fodder.

A similar looking plant is salt-meadow grass. Its Latin name is Spartina Patens. It blooms from August to September. It is a perennial. Its smooth wiry stems are 10 to 18 inches long, very narrow, and curved inward. It was little white flowers. It is harder to harvest than thatch grass. In addition to animal feed, the salt-meadow grass has a high cellulose content and was used to make a good quality, strong paper. Today it is used as mulch.

The salt hay was protected by law in the early development of the South Shore.

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Footnotes

Hostek, Albert. Native and Near Native - An Introduction to Long Island Plants. The Environmental Centers of Setauket-Smithtown, Inc. 1976.

Web Explorations (external links)

Technical information about salt hay

http://www.edc.uri.edu/restoration/html/gallery/plants/salt.htm

Salt Hay harvesting on the Long Island north shore. Contains old photographs. http://prometheusli.com/hamlet/history/Kost.html