Frankenia palmeri
Encyclopedia
Frankenia palmeri is a species of flowering plant in the frankenia family, Frankeniaceae
, known by the common name Palmer's seaheath, or Palmer's frankenia. It is native to the coastline of northwestern Mexico, as well as San Diego County, California
, in the United States. It is a plant of sand dunes, beaches, alkali flats, and salt marsh
es, where it thrives due to its adaptation to saline soils. This is a small, tangling shrub
less than a meter tall with spreading stems lined with clusters of knobby, fleshy leaves. Toward the ends of branches flowers appear among the leaf clusters. Each flower has white petals 3 or 4 millimeters long, often washed with pink toward the throat and with pink anthers
. The plant is becoming increasingly rare as its habitat on valuable coastal land is consumed for development.
Frankeniaceae
Frankeniaceae is the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family has been widely recognized by many taxonomists; it has commonly been assumed to be closely related to family Tamaricaceae....
, known by the common name Palmer's seaheath, or Palmer's frankenia. It is native to the coastline of northwestern Mexico, as well as San Diego County, California
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
, in the United States. It is a plant of sand dunes, beaches, alkali flats, and salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es, where it thrives due to its adaptation to saline soils. This is a small, tangling shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
less than a meter tall with spreading stems lined with clusters of knobby, fleshy leaves. Toward the ends of branches flowers appear among the leaf clusters. Each flower has white petals 3 or 4 millimeters long, often washed with pink toward the throat and with pink anthers
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
. The plant is becoming increasingly rare as its habitat on valuable coastal land is consumed for development.