Baccharis glomeruliflora Pers.

Silverling; Groundsel Bush; Salt Myrtle

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

Silverling is a native semi-evergreen shrub in the Sunflower family (Asteraceae). It is native to the southernmost tier of counties in Alabama. Siverling can be found in moist pine woods, in swamps, on stream banks, in roadside ditches, and in swales between inner dunes. It is a much-branched semi-evergreen shrub growing 3-10 feet in height. The stems are erect, green in color, striate-angled, and glabrous. The bark is reddish-brown to gray and furrowed. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, elliptic to rhombic in outline, leathery in texture, glabrous, black gland-dotted on the lower surface, and toothed along the margin. Flowers are produced in heads. The heads are 1-4 in sessile compact clusters in the axils of the leaves. Siverling is dioecious (having male and female heads on separate individuals). Staminate heads have 20–30 disc flowers and no ray flowers, pistillate heads have 15–25 disc flowers and no ray flowers. The flowers are small, yellowish green in color, and not showy. The fruit is an achene with an apical tuff of long white hairs. Silverling is available from some nurseries. It is occasionally used as a landscape plant near the coast. It is tolerant of drought, nutrient poor soils, and salt spray. Silverling is toxic to livestock, but is rarely eaten if other forage is available.—A. Diamond

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Native FACW (NWPL)

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