Photograph = Camissonia cheiranthifolia (beach primrose, Noah Elhard)
Introduction
Ocean shores host many plants. Often, the shores are inhospitable because sand drains quickly, salt stresses roots by drawing water out, bright light reflects from sand and water, and constant winds increase drying.
The Details
Beach plants use a handful of recurring strategies. Many grow low and mat-forming to avoid wind-blown sand. Many develop roots that quickly take up water after rain or tap shallow freshwater lenses lying above salty groundwater. Some tolerate modest salinity, some are succulent and store water for long intervals, and many reflect intense sunlight with silvery, hairy, or waxy foliage.
While the vegetative parts show clear adjustments to wind, salt, and drought, the flowers typically do not change much. Beach plant flowers generally resemble those of their inland relatives.
Several beach-adapted species are useful in gardens away from the coast. The silvery-leaved Senecio ‘Angel Wings’ forms a bright mound of foliage and is valued in gardens to about USDA Zone 8; it can even be grown as a houseplant. Coastal Dudleyas are prized by succulent growers. Dudleya edulis (fingertips live-forever) is a strictly coastal species in California and stands out in any succulent collection with its upright, cylindrical leaves. Scaevola taccada (beach cabbage) is a modestly succulent plant from Indo-China and other frost-free coasts; it occurs along beaches and is also cultivated.
If you see plants with gray leaves, thick succulent leaves, or unusual toughness in poor, sandy soils, they may be beach plants. Desert and beach plants often share similar solutions—rapid water uptake after rains, reflective foliage, low stature, and succulence—because both habitats are sunny, windy, and drought-prone.
Additional Reading: Plants for Coastal Dunes
