Introductory
SPECIES: Baccharis halimifolia | Groundsel-Tree 



ABBREVIATION : 
BACHAL

SYNONYMS : 
NO-ENTRY


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   BAHA


COMMON NAMES : 
   groundsel-tree
   groundsel-bush
   silverling
   sea myrtle
   salt bush
   buckbrush
   consumption weed


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name for groundsel-tree is Baccharis
halimifolia L. (Compositae or Asteraceae).  There are no recognized
forms or subspecies.  Recognized varieties include:

                var. angustior D.C.
                var. halimifolia [14,30]

Baccharis is a genus of over 400 dioecious plants native only to the
Western Hemesphere; 21 are found in the United States [4].
 


LIFE FORM : 
Shrub

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Timothy R. Van Deelen, July 1991



LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Van Deelen, Timothy R. 1991. Baccharis halimifolia. In: Remainder of Citation

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Baccharis halimifolia | Groundsel-Tree 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Groundsel-tree grows along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America
from Texas to Massachusetts.  It is most common on the southeastern
Coastal Plain, growing as far inland as Arkansas and the central
Piedmont Plateau.  It grows in penninsular Florida, Mexico, and the West
Indies as well [5,6,7,15].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES12  Longleaf - slash pine
   FRES13  Loblolly - shortleaf pine
   FRES14  Oak - pine
   FRES16  Oak - gum - cypress
   FRES41  Wet grasslands


STATES : 
     CT  DE  FL  GA  MD  MA  NJ  NY  NC  RI
     SC  TX  MEXICO


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
     ASIS  BICY  BITH  BISC  CACO  CAHA
     CALO  COLO  COSW  CUIS  EVER  FIIS
     FOCA  GATE  GUIS


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
NO-ENTRY


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K078  Southern cordgrass prairie
   K080  Marl - everglades
   K090  Live oak - sea oats
   K091  Cypress savanna
   K092  Everglades
   K105  Mangrove
   K112  Southern mixed forest
   K113  Southern floodplain forest
   K114  Pocosin
   K116  Subtropical pine forest


SAF COVER TYPES : 
    71  Longleaf pine
    81  Loblolly pine
    82  Loblolly pine - hardwood
    85  Slash pine - hardwood
    89  Live oak
    98  Pond pine
   101  Baldcypress


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Detailed descriptions of groundsel-tree plant communities are lacking.
When present, overstory associates include loblolly pine (Pinus taeda),
longleaf pine (P. palustris), and slash pine (P. elliottii) [12].
Common understory associates include marsh elder (Iva frutescens),
switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos)
[23].

VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Baccharis halimifolia | Groundsel-Tree 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Grelen [12] lists groundsel-tree as a "desirable" browse species for
white-tailed deer, although it probably has little or no value for other
wildlife species and may be toxic to some [4].  Laboratory tests on mice
and chicks indicate that ingestion of more than 2 percent of an animal's
body weight in groundsel-tree foliage may be toxic.  Visible symptoms of
groundsel-tree poisoning range from mild depression followed by recovery
to extreme listlessness and stupor followed by death.  The toxic
compound in groundsel-bush attacks the hepatic and circulatory systems
[7].


PALATABILITY : 
Groundsel-tree is unpalatable to cattle and often displaces more
palatable forage [4].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
Groundsel-tree provides emergency cover for muskrats when storm tides
sweep through southern Louisiana salt marshes [18].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Groundsel-tree's tolerance of salt spray [20], and rapid colonization of
disturbed sites [21] may make it useful for disturbed site
rehabilitation in some situations.  More often, it is considered a weed.
One eastern-Texas native-prairie restoration project reported that the
presence of invading groundsel-trees reduced forb diversity [13].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Hardiness, freedom from disease, and attractive fall foliage make
groundsel-tree an attractive ornamental.  It may aggravate hay fever
symptoms for some people [4].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Baccharis species are problem weeds of rangelands, pastures, parks,
recreational areas, and floodplains.  Mowing and broadleaf herbicide
treatments at 1- to 3-year intervals may provide control, although such
control methods are often not cost-effective.  Phytophagous Brazilian
insects have been successfully used to control introduced Baccharis
species in Australia.  Similar techniques show promise for use in the
United States [4].

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Baccharis halimifolia | Groundsel-Tree 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Groundsel-tree is a much-branched, common shrub that seldom exceeds 16
feet (5 m) in height or 6 inches (16 cm) d.b.h. [5,6].  Its leaves are
toothed, alternate, deciduous, and borne on green twigs [6].
Groundsel-tree leaves secrete a sticky resin, thought to deter herbivory
by all but the most specialized insects [15].

The unisexual, yellow flowers are borne on heads surrounded by bracts.
The fruit is a small achene tipped with straight bristles.
Groundsel-trees are dioecious and display some sexual dimorphism,
although positive sexual classification of the plant requires flower
examination.  Male plants generally have longer shoots, more tender
leaves, grow faster, and flower and senesce earlier than female plants
[15].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Seedling establishment is the primary method of groundsel-tree
regeneration.  Its flowers are wind pollinate, and its seeds are wind
dispersed [15,22].  DeLoach and others [4] reported that groundsel-trees
will resprout if clipped above the ground, although descriptions of
vegetative reproduction are lacking.  Seedlings require 2 years of
growth after germination before reproduction can occur [21].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Detailed descriptions of groundsel-tree site requirements are lacking.
General descriptions indicate that groundsel-tree grows in moist sites
on soils with a high organic content including pond and bay margins,
swamps, wet prairies, marshes, raised portions of salt marshes, and
everglades hammocks [2,6,8,27].  It also grows on anthropogenic sites,
such as fencerows and abandoned fields [5,15].  Descriptions of
groundsel-tree as an early invader of interdune swales [2,6] suggest
that organic content is less important than high moisture content for
groundsel-tree establishment.  Growth in salt marshes and brackish
southeastern Louisiana swamps indicate a high salt tolerance [6,17,24].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Groundsel-tree is an early successional, woody invader of disturbed
lowlands throughout its range [27].  It replaces sawgrass (Cladium
spp.), freshwater marsh, and marl, wet prairie communities following
drainage in southern Florida [27,29].  It is characteristic of cut-over
and partially drained, deep-water swamps in southeastern Louisiana [23].
Overgrazing and drainage favor groundsel-tree invasion and convert salt
marshes into shrublands [9].

Despite its early-seral nature, groundsel-tree is shade tolerant.  It
persists under a pine canopy and may reach carrying capacity in as
little as 4 years.  Self-thinning, graminoid competition, and heavy
litter reduce seedling establishment and maintain a stable stem density.
Disturbance and the creation of overstory gaps stimulate seed
production.  Shade tolerance allows groundsel-tree to maintain a pool of
seedlings in the understory until disturbance provides an opportunity
for release and continued regeneration [19].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Groundsel-trees flower from August to October, and their fruit ripen
from October to November [3,6,24].  A population near Gainesville,
Florida, had the following phenological sequence [22]:

Phenological event              Time
flower bud appearance           late Sept. - Oct.
flowers bloom                   late Oct. - early Nov.
fruit ripens                    mid Nov.
leaves drop                     mid Dec. - late Feb.
dormancy                        late Nov. - Jan.

FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Baccharis halimifolia | Groundsel-Tree 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Groundsel-tree is intolerant of fire and tends to occupy only unburned
sites [11,12].  Postfire colonization depends on proximity of a seed
source and wind dispersal.


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)

FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Baccharis halimifolia | Groundsel-Tree 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Most fires probably kill groundsel-trees.


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Fire probably removes groundsel-tree from a site until off-site seed
sources can provide regeneration.


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
To predict the contribution of groundsel-tree to fuel load, refer to
Reeves and Lenhart [25] for equations relating basal stem diameter to
dry weight.

REFERENCES
SPECIES: Baccharis halimifolia | Groundsel-Tree 



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Related categories for Species: Baccharis halimifolia | Groundsel-Tree