Beach Flora

Sea Grapes

The next time you take a walk along one of our local beaches, look closely and notice the interesting plant life which surrounds you. Three of the beach flora you’re likely to come across are the sea grape, saw palmetto and the blooming cactus.

Sea grapes are native to many of Florida’s beaches. They are salt-tolerant and grow either as low bushes or tall hedges.

The sea grape produces wide, rounded leaves and small clusters of grape-like fruit. Local birds and animals eat the fruit, while songbirds, beach mice, lizards and gopher tortoises settle under the large leaves for shade. Sea grapes aid in retaining sand dunes and defending against storm-related erosion. This plant is significant enough to be protected under the Florida Statute. It is also of prime importance to one of our beloved local treasures – the marine turtle. Although this animal lives most of its life at sea, it ventures ashore to nest. When the marine turtle hatchlings are ready to march into the ocean, they depend on natural moonlight to guide them back to the water. Because of the many street and residential lights, some become confused and end up in heavily trafficked areas. However, on beaches where sea grapes grow, they act as a natural vegetative barrier by blocking out artificial lighting, thus enabling the baby turtles to safely find their way into the depths of the seas.

The saw palmetto is also known as the palmetto scrub or cabbage palm. The palmetto pictured to the right, as well as all the images in this article, were discovered at Caspersen Beach under the boardwalk. The palmetto shrub is native to the West Indies Islands and southeastern United States, with a vast amount of wild crops growing in central Florida. Each plant generates fan-like shaped leaves, approximately two feet in width. Each spring the plant blooms with small white flowers which produce fruit berries. Native Americans looked to the palmetto and the berries as a staple food, as well as for medicinal purposes. Today, the palmetto continues to boldly grow throughout our area along canal banks, beaches, and in many Florida yards.
 

Cabbage Palm

Experts believe that the cacti family evolved 30 to 40 million years ago after the continents separated and drifted apart. These succulents live almost exclusively in North and South America, as well as the West Indies. They flourish in harsh environments, including the beach, because they store water in their fleshy leaves, stems or roots. Many people believe that cacti bloom only once every seven years. The truth is that they are prolific bloomers. Given the right environment, they flower abundantly every 12 months. Most cacti will bloom for a very short time in the spring; sometimes the blooms last only a few hours, sometimes they bloom only at night. Be sure to look for this special presentation by the various cacti found at the beach.
 

Cactus Flower