Alkali Heath, Frankenia salina

About Alkali Heath (Frankenia salina) 12 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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The perennial herb Frankenia salina, often called Alkali Heath or Alkali Seaheath, is a member of the Frankeniaceae family that is native to California. It is occasionally found in Nevada and Mexico. In California it is found along the coast, in the mountain, central valley, and other wetland locations, including salt marsh and alkali flats. Its common name refers to its preference for saline or alkaline soils. It is a squat flowering bush that forms a twiggy thicket near beaches and estuaries. The leaves are tiny and somewhat succulent. It has the ability to excrete salt as an adaptation for living in saline habitats. The flowers are white, pink or fuchsia in color. It spreads by rhizome and can cover large areas but remains very low. It is not a common garden plant but can be a useful ground cover at the edges of ponds or streams, in bioswales, or in areas of saline soil.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

1 ft tall

Form

Spreading

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Summer Semi-Deciduous

Flower Color

Pink, White

Flowering Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Agdistis americanaAgdistis americana

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation

Keep moist

Nurseries

Carried by 12

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 25° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow, Standing

Soil Description

Prefers sand or sandstone. Soil PH: 6.0 - 9.0

Common uses

Groundcovers

Companion Plants

Use with other wetland plants such as Salt Grass (Distichlis spicata), Yellow Monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus), Sedge (Carex sp.), Rush (Juncus sp.), Willow (Salix sp.), and Alkali Weed (Cressa truxillensis)

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: No treatment. (Emery and Frey 1971).

Sunset Zones?

8*, 10, 11*, 12, 13, 14*, 15, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Salt marshes, alkali flats

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 3.2" - 47.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.12" - 1.53", Coldest Month: 37.5" - 59.7", Hottest Month: 58.1" - 88.0", Humidity: 0.01" - 43.78", Elevation: -59" - 6109"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Frankenia grandiflora
Common Names: Alkali Seaheath, Alkali-heath, Yerba Reuma

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Alkali Heath

Frankenia salina

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Alkali HeathFrankenia salina

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Alkali Heath

Frankenia salina