Salter Path Florula

8/3/2019 Salter Path Florula

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Salter Path A FlorulaBy Susan Deans


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Sparse Dune Vegetation

Uniola paniculata sea oats

These salttolerant grasses in the Poaceae family

are abundant throughout dunes along the North

Carolina coast At Salter Path and neighboring

beaches they are a dominant species Signs warn

beach goers not to tread on the dunes and disturb

the sea oats as they slow erosion

A

Yucca aloifolia Spanish Dagger

Spanish dagger also known as aloe yucca is a

member of the Agavaceae A native to the Southeast

this small shrub is considered imperiled in North

Carolina as it is towards the Northern edge of its

distribution It can be distinguished from its close

relative Yucca gloriosa by the presence of small

serrations along the leaf margin


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Smilax bonanox Catbrier

Catbrier another native to the

Southeast forms scratchy mattes

along the dune tops at Salter Path

This member of the smilacaceae

can grow in many environments

preferring open spaces on the coast

in this case The leaf prickles serve

as yet another reminder to stay off

the dunes

Panicum amarum var

Amarulum Coastal

PanicgrassCoastal Panicgrass a member

of the Poaceae grows along

dunes and other sandy coastal

areas in North Carolina At

Salter Path it is one of many

grasses in the dunes that are

overshadowed by the

ubiquitous and attractive Sea

Oats


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Croton punctatus Gulf Croton

Heterotheca subaxillaris (Camphorweed)

Croton punctatus a member

of the euphorbiaceae grows

in rows along dunes in

pockets between clumps of

grasses and vine mats It is

specially adapted to

withstand sand blasting and

as such is helpful in forming

new dunes The young

plants tend to grow in rows

acting as a sort of net to

catch sand Lonard JuddCamphorweed is a fairly

common member of the

asteraceae throughout

coastal states in the

Southeast Though it is

thought to be native the

USDA has found that it

can be problematically

weedy at times


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Backdune dry grasslands

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This species of pennywort in the araliaceae was

extremely abundant along the tops of the dunes and

spreading into the open area at the top of the hill

Though it was in no short supply at Salter Path North

Carolina is at the edge of its native range and thus is not

very common Pippen

The common dandelion is unsurprisingly quite

common at this site This aster is one of the most

easily recognizable weeds as it can thrive in a great

variety of habitats Regardless of how successful it

is here it hails from Asia and is quite weedy

Pippen

Hydrocotyle bonariensis Largeleaf pennywort

Taraxacum officinale Dandelion


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Southern seaside goldenrod is almost indistinguishable from Northern

seaside goldenrod solidago sempervirens var Sempervirens but it has

fewer ray and cone flowers Weakley As the name implies this

aster is easy to find along the coast it gets rarer the further north you

go

This member of the cuppressaceae bears much in common with

Eastern red cedar but is better suited to life by the sea It grows

lower to the ground and spreads out rather than up so it can stay

sheltered from wind and salt Cook It grows more like a

large shrub than a tree These plants barely reached above the

grassesSolidago sempervirens var Mexicana Southern Seaside Goldenrod

Juniperus virginiana var Silicicola Southern Red Cedar


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Euphorbia cyathophora Fire on the Mountain

Fire on the mountain is also known as Wild Poinsettia due

to its redsplashed leaves It is not too commonly found but

it is known to colonize disturbed soils in sandy areas by the

coast It most likely has taken advantage of the land use

changes at Salter Path over the last five years

profitting from the drop off in human activity and traffic

There were only a few of these plants to be found


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Pinus taeda as NC DENR

puts it commonly takes over

old abandoned fields and is

tolerant of moisture Both of

these criteria make an

artificially cleared pond an

ideal environment and this

tree took full advantage of the

conditions

This member of the alliaceae is

sometimes called false garlic Though

rare in some states nothoscordum

bivalve does well in a variety of habitats

in North Carolina including open

woodlands such as this Weakley

Nothoscordum bivalve Crow poison

Pinus taeda Loblolly Pine


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This native vine primarily occurs in

the Eastern part of the state A

member of the vitaceae it prefers

moist and marshy environments

much like the mesic environment it

is growing in here Weakley

This sand laurel oak seedling

was growing near the ponds

edge on a sandier slope

While it occurred near several

species that enjoy moisture

this semievergreen tree

prefers drier soils Cook

Ampelopsis arborea Peppervine

Quercus hemisphaerica Sand Laurel Oak


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English Ivy is particularly destructive as it

forms dense mats that block out sunlight and

can take down trees Parthenocissus is

slightly easier from a management

perspective but in an uncontrolled ecosystem

like Salter Path it can be just as destructive

as Ivy The Ivy at least was almost certainly

planted by well meaning campers

These two vines are common invasive species

throughout North Carolina English Ivy

belongs in the araliaceae while Virginia

Creeper is a member of the grapevine family

vitaceae Both species spread through

aggressive vegetative means

Hedera helix (English Ivy)

Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia creeper


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Vinca minor variegata is another vine that is often

planted ornamentally This variety is particularly

attractive especially as it is an evergreen Unlike

Virginia Creeper and English Ivy it spreads more

slowly and is not as much of a threat It politely

occupied only a neat little corner of the old

campsites seeming to restrain itself

Eastern Columbine sometimes called Red Columbine is a

common and widespread native throughout North Carolina

According to Pippens it is an effective hummingbird attractant

It is impossible to say if it occurs here naturally or if an

enterprising bird watcher established it

Vinca minor variegata Variegated periwinkle

Aquilegia canadensis Eastern Columbine


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American hollys waxy

thick leaves make it

well suited for a harsh

environment by the

coast though it can

thrive many places in

North Carolina A

member of the

aquifoliaceae this small

understory tree was

one of the most

common non oaks in

the campground

Pink Wood Sorrel in the oxalidaceae is not a native to

the area Hailing from South America it seems likely

that this small population is left over from a garden or

planting done by the campground owners or a camper

It grew on the corner of an old site next to where a

now overgrown road is Weakley The leaves

are edible in small amounts and quite tasty

Ilex Opaca American Holly

Oxalis articulata Pink Wood Sorrel


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Live Oaks are the most notable tree

in Salter Path as their saltavoiding

dramatically twisting and reaching

branches give it its unique character

They are common throughout the

coastal plain but these trees have

been cared for since they were small

On some of the more sidewaysleaning trees one can find

Resurrection Ferns so called

because they can withstand severe

droughts and still survive

Quercus virginiana Live OakPleopeltis polypodioides (Resurrection Fern)


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EEastern Prickly Pear Cactus is very common in the sandy habitats ofcoastal North Carolina In Salter Path especially it would be

unwise to walk around barefoot as these cacti often exhibit a

downward growth habit forming wide flat groundcovers A

member of the cactaceae this prickly plant is also called Devils

Tongue It can be found everywhere from the dunes to the sound

Bermuda grass is native to Eurasia but has

become common in North Carolina There is a

fairly large population growing in the open area

next to the sound

Opuntia humifusa var Humifusa Prickly Pear Cactus

Cynodon dactylon Bermuda Grass


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Silverling or groundseltree is a

showy fallblooming aster that

is common throughout the

piedmont and the coastal plane

It is one of the largest asters

sometimes reaching small tree

status Brackish areas such as

the sound side clearing it was in

are one of the most common

places to find silverling NC

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This stunningly bright aster prefers recently

upset land as well as mesic conditions so it

is very suited to the lowlying area I found it

in Weakley It blooms in the fall and

can be a major attractant to butterflies

Baccharis halimifolia Silverling

Conoclinium coelestinum Blue Mistflower


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This yellow aster is common in salty and mesic

environments throughout the Southeast It can

grow in clusters spanning acres if the conditions

are ideal Weakley Also called Sea

Oxeye this plant is easily recognizable by its

thick succulent leaves with three noticeable

veins Additionally the flower remains intact for

several months and is bright yellow when

blossoming NC DENR

Borrichia frustescens

Bushy Seaside Tansy


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Documents

Salter Path Florula