Beach Plants

Mackenzie Mertz, Ilanah Cassell and Tracy Howard

Location

• Beach Plants are located in an area called the Upper Beach.

• Usually, no plants can be found in the area called the Lower Beach. The conditions in this area are usually salty because of the misty air blowing off of the ocean making it un-suitable for plant life.

Beach Profile

• The Upper Beach is the area between the intertidal beach and the dunes.

• Usually a dry, sandy area, but can be affected by storms or high tides.

Upper Beach

• Upper beach is more suitable for plants

• The wind creates dunes, which are held in place by the roots of beach plants

• Dunes are important shelters for plants and animals

Sand Dunes

• Coastal sand dunes or psammoseres provide a range of habitats for plants and animals. The habitats closest to the beach are harsh and the plants can suffer from lack of moisture and nutrients.

Structure of a Plant

Roots anchor the plant in the waterStems transport water and help support the plantRoot hairs help absorb nutrientsLeaves=Photosynthesis; collect carbon dioxide for the plant

Algae vs. Plant StructureWhat makes a plant, a plant?

Plants have three types of tissue systems-dermal, ground, and vascularVascular tissue systems provides the transport of water and minerals and the transport of food via the veins, stem, etc. This system allows all the cells in the leaves especially to excrete into transport channel as well as absorb energy and food Leaves, stem, meidrim, roots Algae on the other hand, can exchange directly with the ocean Stipes, maristem, holdfast

FAMILIAR BEACH PLANTS Beach Elder Sea Rocket

Beach Croton

Beach Morning Glory

Railroad Vine

Firewheel

Images taken from: http://stjohns.ifas.ufl.edu/Sea/pdf/Beach%20Plants%20of%20NE%20Florida.pdf

Prickly Pear(Opuntia)

• The Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia compressa) grows in the Upper Beach area

• Has a thick waxy covering to protect it from water loss

• The pads and fruits are covered with spines. At the base of each spine are numerous hair-like glochids

• http://www.desertusa.com/video_pages/pp_movie.html

Seaside Goldenrod(Solidago)

• Fleshy, waxy leaves (to protect itself from salt spray)

• Habitat: Beaches, dunes, salt marshes

• Flowering time: August to November

• Height: 1-8 feet• Stores water in it’s

stem

Beach Elder (Iva imbricata )

• Habitat=coastal sand dunes, usually located anywhere from Texas to Virginia

• Each leaf is toothed and fleshy

Sea Couch (Croton) Grass

Sea Rocket (Cakile edentula)

• Grows on sandy beaches above the high tide line

• Stems and leaves are both fleshy

• Can grow 6-20 inches• These are native

Floridian beach plants that flower from July to September

Railroad Vine

• Can be over 30 feet in length

• Lives in sand dunes and anchors itself in the sand

• Flowers can be anywhere from red-purple to violet

Firewall (Indian Blanket)

• Grow 1-2 ft. tall• Center=Brownish red• Live in the upper

beach habitat

Beach Morning Glory(Ipomoea imperati)

• The leaves alternate• Habitat= Coastal

Sand dunes• Texas, Florida North

Carolina

Bibliography

• http://www.geo-world.org/images/jpg/fore_dunes.jpg• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://

www.fettes.com/lothian/images/marram.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fettes.com/lothian/dune%2520succession.htm&usg=__khff-GY9j6ATbd2KX0rQ8VzRgoM=&h=266&w=200&sz=16&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=hPqRmrF4I2uGcM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=85&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsea%2Bcouch%2Bgrass%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

• http://www.sms.si.edu/irlfieldguide/Ipomoe_pescap.htm

• http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=gapu

Bibliography 2

• http://2bnthewild.com/plants/H418.htm• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://

fieldtrip.britishecologicalsociety.org/sand%2520dune%2520tour/braunton%2520burrows/sea_couch_and_sea_rocket.JPG&imgrefurl=http://fieldtrip.britishecologicalsociety.org/sand%2520dune%2520tour/sea_couch_and_seaRocket.htm&usg=__dJeS4Dz08URylDeYrpyC0cUB0YU=&h=960&w=1280&sz=566&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=Szvz-FCXOP3RqM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsea%2Bcouch%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

• http://www.seafriends.org.nz/oceano/beach08.gif