Turtleweed

Batis maritima

USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 March 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.

What is Turtleweed?

Physical Characteristics

• Pale green in color
• Shrub-like
• Has strong smell

Leaves:

• Curling
• Up to 1 inch long

Flowers:

Spikes:

• Cylindrical shaped
• 0.2-0.39 inches long

Fruit:

• Egg-shaped
• 0.39-0.78 inches long
• Short stalks
• Drooping

Stem:

• Creeping
• Up to 5 feet long
• Forming large colonies

Where Does it Grow?

Turtleweed can be found in salt flats and along the seashore.

Pros and Cons of Turtleweed

Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.