The type has many lakes, bayous, and canals and occurs along the Gulf Coast. Tides from the Gulf of Mexico influence many areas of the southern cordgrass prairie.
Soil textures are silts, clays, and silt clays.
The silts result from recent alluvial and marine deposits. The southern cordgrass prairie is home to many threatened and endangered species. Threatened species include the loggerhead turtle. These stands can tolerate saltwater inundation for as long as 20 hours per day. In Louisiana smooth cordgrass often occurs in pure stands or with saltgrass and black rush associates.