Iva imbricata Walter

Dune Marsh Elder; Seacoast Marsh Elder

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Dune Marsh Elder is a native perennial or subshrub in the Sunflower family (Asteraceae). It is native to the coastal counties of Alabama. Dune Marsh Elder occurs on beaches and dunes. It is a perennial with a tap root. Stems are erect to decumbent, 1-4 feet in height, branched above the middle, and green or brown in color. Leaves are opposite, sessile or with very short petioles, lance-elliptic to lanceolate or spatulate in outline, usually entire, glabrous, and rarely gland dotted. The leaves are thick and succulent in texture. Flowers are produced in heads. The heads are arranged in racemiform arrays. Each head has a short peduncle and a green campanulate to urceolate involucre. Heads have 2-5 pistillate flowers or 8-12 staminate flowers. The heads have only disc flowers. The fruit is a brown to yellow globe-shaped achene. Dune Marsh Elder is tolerant of salt water flooding and salt spray, and is sometimes used in dune restoration and stabilization plantings. It can be grown from seed or softwood cuttings.—A. Diamond.

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Native FACW (NWPL)

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