Marsh elder (Iva frutescens)
When asked to picture a New England salt marsh, most people would likely think of large expanses of salt marsh grass, such as smooth cord grass (Spartina alterniflora) and salt marsh hay (Spartina patens). However, at the upper edge of most marshes, where only the highest high tides reach, is a thin strip of short shrubs, dominated by marsh elder (Iva frutescens) and/or eastern baccharis (Baccharis halimifolia). In fact, due to its placement on the landscape, marsh elder is also…