Florida Forest Plants

Saltwort  (Batis maritima)

Saltwort, also called beachwort, is an unusual plant known for its tolerance to salt. Most plants lose water when exposed to salty soil or saltwater, but the seeds of saltwort have even sprouted after floating in saltwater for several months.

Other than a cousin in Australia, there are no known close relatives of saltwort, so botanists believe it is rather specialized and highly evolved. When a hurricane comes ashore, saltwort is one of the few plants that survives and re-colonizes the 		 
shoreline. It would make a good landscape groundcover for shoreline communities.

Saltwort flowers produce nectar that is very attractive to butterflies.

The plant is found along salty, coastal wetlands on both coasts of Florida and in the Keys.

 Identifying Characteristics
Size/Form:
 Saltwort is an evergreen, sprawling shrub with succulent, grayish stems, rarely more than 3 ' tall. It often grows in thick patches and may sometimes appear vine-like. Older stems may be woody.
Leaves:
 The leaves are simple, opposite, bright green and succulent. They are about one inch long, narrow and often have recurved edges that give them a tuber-like appearance. Margins are entire and a petiole is absent.
Flowers:
  Small yellow flowers appear on a cone-like spike in late spring and early summer.
Fruit:
 The plant produces a multiple of green, fleshy, berry-like fruits, with a rough texture.
Habitat:
 Saltwort grows on muddy tidal banks, mangrove swamps, and salt marshes.


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