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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
B
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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D
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
DENR
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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