Groundsel, Baccharis halimifolia, is a handsome multi-stemmed upright deciduous shrub that maintains a low-profile in the landscape until late autumn. Then, when little else is flowering, groundsel attracts attention with clouds of white flowers and fruit.
Clusters of ¼ to ½ inch long white tufted female flowers change into small dry fruits with feathery white paintbrush-like pappus remaining into the winter. The pappus helps disperse the seed similar to the way a dandelion seed is released by the wind.
Range and Habitat
Native to the southeastern United States from Virginia to Florida to Texas, groundsel frequents locations with full-sun and moisture. Salt marshes, roadside ditches, fencerows, open woods and pastures are likely habitats. In open areas the shrub forms dense thickets. Longleaf and loblolly pines are overstory associates.
Common Names
This composite family member goes by numerous common names: salt marsh elder, sea myrtle, salt bush, groundsel tree, false willow, consumption weed, and silverling. The latter name refers to the silvery aura surrounding the ripening fruit. Salt bush refers to its tolerance for saline soil and salt spray. At one time the plant was used as a palliative in tuberculosis and cough, hence the name consumption tree.
Valuable Attributes
The shrub is fast growing and matures to a height of 6-15 feet. It is valuable as an ornamental, for erosion control and in site reclamation. At disturbed sites it appears as a pioneer plant which grows under many circumstances and conditions. Because the shrub is salt-tolerant it is widely used in coastal areas in the marsh or on the dunes and as a hedge or screen. Its fondness for moisture prompts use in reclamation projects at retention and drainage ponds.
Groundsel has been “nursed” by spartina grasses in the stabilization and restoration of degraded tidal shorelines. Nurse plants like spartina facilitate and improve the performance of target species like groundsel at a site.
The small stature of the shrub makes it an ideal species for landscaping in limited spaces such as parking lot islands or small yards. Because it tolerates acidic and infertile soils it is a good filler plant for poor soils. In naturalistic settings like native shrub borders and wildlife habitats it is often paired with wax myrtle.
Groundsel attracts wildlife for food, nesting, and cover. During coastal storm emergencies and high tides groundsels provide temporary cover and anchor for some mammals. Songbirds like the marsh wren and swamp sparrow and shorebirds nest among its grey-green leaves and woody stems. Graniverous birds are attracted to the seeds. Bees, butterflies, moths and other insects seek the nectar. A cardioactive glycoside in the plant is known to be toxic to livestock.
Groundsel makes a small limbed-up specimen tree for sites with limited space and for owners desiring a low maintenance landscape. Groundsel has no pest or disease problems. USDA cold hardiness zone is 5-9.
Propagation
The shrub is easily propagated by seed or ripe wood stem cuttings. Seed collected in fall needs no pre-treatment for germination. Sow seed in flats in a cold frame in the spring.
Stem cuttings may be rooted in mid-summer or November in the protection of a cold frame.
Native Plant Sources
There are no cultivars but a few plant nurseries like Woodlanders in South Carolina and Going Native Nursery on Martha’s Vineyard sell the native shrub.
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