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Frankenia salina
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Alkali Heath
( Frankenia salina )
Frankenia salina
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
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12 Nurseries Carry This Plant
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 americana
Agdistis 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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Alkali Heath
Frankenia salina
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
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