Baccharis halimifolia

groundsel tree, sea myrtle, salt bush

Asteraceae (Compositae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

7-15 ft tall by 5-7 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white,yellow

Fruit Color:

white

Phenology:

Deciduous in northern Florida and evergreen from the central peninsula south. Blooms in late summer and fall. Dioecious. Showy fruits on female plants in late fall.

Noted For:

Showy Fruits

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant in casual settings.  Also useful as a natural screen or buffer plant. Rain gardens or bioswales.



The primary horticultural feature is the silvery, plume-like achenes which appear in the fall on female plants. The fruits can provide a white haze for several weeks in the fall.

Considerations:

Weak wood. Seed is wind disbursed and may become weedy.

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---- to ---- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B,11

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators

Although primary wind pollinated, it attracts bees including  Colletes mandibularis, C. simulans, C. thysanellae, Agapostemon splendens, Augochlorella aurata, Augochloropsis metallica, Dialictus miniatulus, D. nymphalis, Halictus ligatus, Sphecodes heraclei, Apis mellifera (honeybee) (Deyrup et al. 2002).  Also said to attract butterflies.

Seeds are wind dispersed but also eaten by small birds and other wildlife.

Native Habitats:

Coastal uplands and disturbed moist inland area.