Are there other beach plants that look life beach vitex?
There are several woody plants that are native to our beach dunes that may at first look be confused with beach vitex, but a closer examination reveals clear differences. Wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera) is a woody shrub that can grow to be a small tree, with the multiple stems and branches growing vertically. It is found landward of the front dunes and not on the front beach dunes. It is easy to identify because it is evergreen, the leaves are not in pairs on the twig, and the leaf length is at least 4 times the leaf width. Wax myrtle leaves are much longer than they are wide and the stems grow upward to form a shrub or small tree. Photograph by C. A. Gresham, Clemson University. Sea rocket (Cakile harperi) is an herbaceous annual that grows in a small clump on the front beach. Sea rocket leaves are thick and not in pairs on an herbaceous stem. The plant forms a green, segmented, linear fruit in March and the terminal section will dry out and fall off during the summer. Sea rocket plants
