BEACH VITEX ALERT!
Beach Vitex
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Have you seen this plant
on your beaches?
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Description
Beach vitex leaves
are round, slilvery gray-green, 1-2 inches long, and have a spicy fragrance.
The flowers are purplish-blue, 1 inch in width, and produced in
small clusters at the ends of branches. The round fruits are 1/4 inch
in diameter and purplish-black when ripe. The plant typically grows up
to 12 feet or more in diameter, and can produce rooting runners up to
60 feet long.
Introduction
to the U.S.
Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia),
is a deciduous woody vine from the Pacific Rim, that was introduced to the
Southeastern U.S. in the mid-1980's for beach stabilization. By the mid-1990's,
plant specialists began to notice beach vitex spreading from original plantings
on state beaches, crowding out native plants such as sea oats and sea beach
amaranth. It is now spreading along front beaches by seeds and vegetative
fragments from parent plants.
Special Concerns
In 2003, volunteers
with the South Carolina Sea Turtle Network became concerned about possible
impacts of the plant on sea turtle nesting. It has the potential to be
a threat to sea turtle reproduction on southeastern beaches - similar
in effect to nesting habitat destruction by Australian Pine in Florida.
It also forms monoculture stands that crowd out native beach plants which
are efficient in dune building and stabilization. Beach vitex does not
appear to trap wind blown sand, and the taproots are not effective in
holding sand in place.
Tell Somebody!
If you see beach vitex
in our beach communities, particularly on the front beach, try to establish
its location by a street address, distance from a distinct landmark or
GPS position, along with the area of coverage. Please report the information
to the South Carolina Beach Vitex Task Force.
NOTE: Beach
vitex seedlings on public beaches should be removed and destroyed once
they are correctly identified.
With each passing
season, the potential for beach vitex to crowd out native dune plants
and impded sea turtle nesting will continue to grow.
South Carolina
Beach Vitex Task Force Contacts:
Robin Roecker,
President
S.C. Exotic Pest Plant
Council
Columbia, SC
phone: 803-561-4071
Laura Schmidt
University of South
Carolina
Baruch Institute-Marine/Coastal
Science
Georgetown, SC
phone: 843-546-3623
Jack Whetstone
Clemson University-Baruch
Institute
Coastal Ecology &
Forest Science
Georgetown, SC
phone: 843-546-6321
Randy Westbrooks
U.S. Geological Survey
Biological Resources
Discipline
Whiteville, NC
phone: 910-640-6435
Betsy Brabson,
Coordinator
SC Beach Vitex Task Force
Debordieu Beach
Georgetown, SC
843-546-9531
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