Saltgrass is a native perennial from 15” to 35” in height.  It forms dense mats with rhizomes and sometimes stolons.  It is a dioecious species with male and female reproductive parts on separate plants… The thick entangled roots of salt marsh plants acts as a guard.. protecting the land from pollutants and other chemicals associated with runoff water. It is particularly useful in saline/alkaline wetlands…It inhabits upper/high marsh (irregularly flooded) areas, in which the water levels vary between 2 inches above the soil surface and 6 inches below the soil surface. It is also commonly present in the dry West, where it is one of the most drought-tolerant species. Saltgrass is located in both organic alkaline and in saline soils.

Distichlis spicata -Inland saltgrass, Desert saltgrass, Spike grass
NRCS Plant Profile Fact Sheet .pdf