Fall-Blooming Seamyrtle Brings Clouds of White to Arkansas Fields

By Lamar James, U of A Cooperative Extension

First posted on 10-27-2008

Trees aren’t the only big show in the fall - the seamyrtle does its share to bring a little brightness to waning green pasturelands and lots in Arkansas, said Jim Robbins, extension horticulture-ornamentals specialist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

“This is the time of year it just pops with seed heads,” he said. “The females have those incredible seed heads that catch our attention.”

The seamyrtle, also called groundsel-bush, is one of the few woody members of the Aster family (Asteraceae). However, it lacks the colorful ray flowers typically associated with showy Aster flowers.

“Seamyrtles also have the unique feature of leaves that change shape from inside the plant near the trunk to the branch tip,” Robbins said.

Inside the plant, the leaves are roughly egg-shaped and toothed. Toward the tip, the leaves are smooth and alternately arranged.

The seamyrtle, or Eastern Baccharis, can grow up to 10 feet tall but is typically seven feet tall by seven feet wide.

The attractive, gray-green foliage is deciduous to evergreen, depending on the seed source and location. Although there is no fall color, the foliage is always clean and is not affected by insect or disease problems.

The drought-tolerant plant is native to coastal states from Massachusetts to Texas and inland to the Carolinas and Arkansas.

It is often found in rough places, such as salty marshes or areas with near-desert-like conditions, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The plants are being investigated as a plant that may be able to stabilize some tidal shorelines.

However, the plant can have nuisance qualities because its pollen is considered an allergen and its leaves are poisonous to livestock, USDA said.

For more information about fall-blooming plants, talk with your county extension agent or visit http://www.uaex.edu.

The Cooperative Extension Service is a part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.