| Botanical name: |
Baccharis halimifolia L |
| Common
name: |
Groundsel bush or eastern baccharis
|
| Synonomy: |
Baccharis halimifolia L.
var. angustior DC.
|
| Group: |
Dicot
|
| Family: |
Asteraceae
|
| Growth
Type: |
Tree
Shrub
|
| Duration: |
Perennial
|
| Plant
height: |
10' to 15'
|
| Foliage: |
Alternate,
semi-evergreen, variable in shape, obovate to narrowly oblong, some
nearly diamond-shaped, 1 to 2 1/2 inches long, upper half of leaf with
a few coarse teeth, leaves from upper crown and near ends of twig often
lacking teeth, shiny green above, may be sticky, paler beneath. |
| Flower
color: |
Feathery white tufts, sometimes
purplish
|
| Flower
size: |
Dioecious; both male and female flowers occur in terminal, branched
clusters, on separate plants. Flowers about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. |
| Flowering/fruiting time |
Flowers late August to late
September; fruits late September to late October |
| Habitat: |
edges of salt marshes
|
| Range in
New Jersey: |
Along the coast and up the larger
streams; rarely in the interior.
|
| Heritage ranking if any: |
n/a
|
| Uses: |
Deer
browse; nesting sites for grackles, redwing blackbirds, and green
herons especially along canals in marshes |
| Misc.: |
USDA
lists as a facultative wetland species in New Jersey; i.e., usually
occurs in wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally
found in non-wetlands.
Stone (1911) says: "A conspicuous shrub along the thoroughfares and
borders of the salt marshes, especially in September, when the seeds
are ripe and the bright tufts of silvery white pappus stand out in
strong relief against the dark foliage".
Insect pollinated.
|
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