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Baccharis halimifolia |
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| | Vigorously growing in early August |
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| | The bark is interestingly striped on the young plant; it will develop intricately woven bark patterns as it matures |
| Common name |
groundsel tree; salt marsh elder |
| Family |
asteraceae |
| Life cycle |
shrub (Z5-10) |
| Flowers |
white (late summer-fall) |
| Size |
to 15' |
| Light |
sun-part shade |
| Cultural notes |
ordinary garden soil; heat- and drought-tolerant |
Large shrub or small tree native to the southeastern U.S., covered in white flowers in fall. The species is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers appear on separate plants; the female ones are much showier, with a clearer white color. Our specimen arrived as an uninvited guest on the edge of our back-yard foundation border. I first noticed it in mid-spring, and was curious what this odd upright plant would turn out to be, so I let it grow for the season, getting a tentative ID from the Name That Plant forum by early summer, but having to wait till it bloomed in late September to know for sure. I won't keep it around, but it's been interesting to watch for one full season.
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| | Greenish-white buds in mid-September |
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| | Opening to white flowers in late September (these are the male kind, duller than female flowers) |
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This is a weed in our garden About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Baccharis halimifolia
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