Batis maritima
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Saltwort, Turtleweed
Bataceae
Plant Specifics
| Form: | Shrub | |
| Size: | 2-4 ft tall by much broader than tall ft wide | |
| Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | White,green | |
| Fruit Color: | NA | |
| Phenology: | Evergreen | |
| Noted for: | Interesting foliage |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Coastal stabilization is salt-flat areas. Can be used ornamentally as a groundcover or bush-like mound in coastal areas. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propagation: | Layering, cuttings. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Availability: | Native nurseries | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| (Usually moist, occasional inundation ----- to ----- Usually moist, occasional inundation) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: | Usually moist, occasional inundation ----- to ----- Usually moist, occasional inundation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Tolerant of frequent or regular inundation (usually areas with tidal inundation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without injury. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil or other substrate: | Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil pH: | Calcareous (high pH) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ecology
| Wildlife: |
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| Insects: | Larval host and adult nectar plant for the great Southern white (Ascia monuste) and Eastern pigmy blue (Brephidium isophthalma) butterflies (Florida Cooperative Extension Service 2002) | |
| Native Habitats: | Saltmarshes and flats. |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 10B 11 8B 9A 9B
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
| Ethnobotany: | It can be eaten as a salty salad herb. Ashes from this plant were once used in soap -- however it was apparently toxic if used in abundance. Used to treat a variety of skin conditions. |