A project of the Chicago Botanic Garden
COMMON NAME
Sea rosemary
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Tournefortia gnaphalodes
ALSO KNOWN AS
Argusia gnaphalodes, Heliotropium gnaphalodes, Sea lavender
Plant family
Borage (Boraginaceae)
Plant group
Broadleaf Evergreens
This rare dune shrub grows 3 to 6' high and 3-10' wide with a rounded top.
9 reports
9+
OBSERVERS
9+
OBSERVATIONS
Identification hints
Fruits and flowers are often present on the plant at the same time. While the plant resembles lavender or rosemary, the leaves do not have a noticeable scent.
Did you know?
The fruits of sea rosemary have a corky head that helps them float, helping them to be dispersed by ocean currents.
DISTRIBUTION IN TH U.S.
Florida
HABITAT
Grows on dunes and thickets on Florida's Atlantic coast.
ATTRIBUTES
Leaves
The leaves are strap-shaped or spatula shaped and somewhat succulent. The leaves are covered with dense, silky white hairs. Dead leaves typically remain on the stem.
Flowers
Sweet smelling white flowers are clustered on one side of a curled spike. Flowers are five-lobed with a greenish, yellowish, or pink throat.
Fruits
The round fruits are about 1/4" long. They are yellow to brown, each with a characteristic black dot at the tip. The fruits are encased in a corky head which makes them buoyant.
Bark
Stems are greenish-yellowish and covered in soft hair.
Bloom Time
It blooms all year and but most often blooms in the fall and winter.
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