Flowering Plants

When I think about flowering plants on the exposed outer coast’s intertidal ecosystems, I’m thinking about surfgrass, Phyllospadix, and eelgrass, Zostera. But, of course, dunegrass, Leymus, and beachgrass, Ammophila, shape the dunes, so I include them. And I can’t help but feature other worthy flowering plants that pioneer down onto the backshore, like sea rocket, Cakile, and where dunes are absent, the willows, Salix. I’m fascinated by any plant that will creep down far enough to get an occasional salty soaking.

Unless mentioned in the caption, all the plants on this page are from the exposed northern Oregon coast. The organization and common names are my choices. I refer to the USDA PLANTS Database, the University and Jepson Herbaria, and OregonFlora for scientific names and distribution records. Of course, there’s always a chance I’ll make an identification error, so please let me know if you see one.

Zostera, eelgrass
Eelgrass is at home in the bays and estuaries. Its appearance on surf-swept beaches is as wrack. Click here for a short video illustrating the strong connection between beach hoppers and drift eelgrass. I feature eelgrass in Eelgrass in the Wrack and Beach Hoppers Rejoice Over Drift Macrophytes. The images below feature Zostera marina. There is another eelgrass in our estuaries, Zostera japonica, but I haven’t noticed it in sea wrack.

Gazing down the beach at a long lineup of drifted clumps of eelgrass — Beach hoppers rejoice – a drift line dominated by eelgrass, *Zostera*

Intimate view of fresh green blades washed up on the beach — Beach hoppers rejoice – a drift line dominated by eelgrass, *Zostera*

Phyllospadix, surfgrass
I’ve always thought the common, abundant surfgrass shown below is P. scouleri, but there are alternatives. Surfgrass is at home on rocks, where the lowest tides expose it. Like eelgrass, it is sometimes prevalent in the drift line. I featured surfgrass in Finding yourself in the Infralittoral Fringe, and Comparative Photos Show Rocky Intertidal Changes Between 2013 and 2016.

Big rock jutting out of the sand, with surfgrass on its lower regions — The gap between the bottom of the mussel bed and the top of the surfgrass is variable

Surfgrass on a low rock in morning sunlight. Sea stack in the background, though mist — The gap between the bottom of the mussel bed and the top of the surfgrass is variable

Leymus, dunegrass
Dunegrass used to be the dominant grass on dunes. Now it’s hard to find in the near-monoculture of Ammophila. Broad grayish-green leaves set Leymus apart from Ammophila, which has narrow yellowish-green leaves. Click here to view a short video comparing Leymus and Ammophila on a northern Oregon foredune. I featured Leymus in Dunegrass Finds Breathing Room on the Backshore.

Tall, steep northern Oregon foredune, lots of Ammophila higher up; A band of Leymus on the lower reaches and upper back shore — *Leymus* is abundant in the darker green band at the base of the foredune

A seascape, looking along the base the foredune. Leymus in the foreground. — *Leymus* is abundant in the darker green band at the base of the foredune

Ammophila, beachgrass
Look for near-monocultures of Ammophila on almost any dune trail. Ammophila appears in Beachgrass Lights Up the Foredune and Stability and Change on the Foredune.

Peering north along the foredune — Beachgrass, *Ammophila*

Sandy path across the foredune, view out to sea — Beachgrass, *Ammophila*

Picea sitchensis, Sitka spruce
When you’re on the shore, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to spot Sitka spruce forest.

A spray poking out of salal — Just above the backshore cobbles

A fresh branchlet on large backshore cobbles — Just above the backshore cobbles

Pinus contorta, shore pine
The photos below are from just landward of the crest of the foredune on the exposed outer coast.

On the backside of the foredune — Shore pine (left) and Sitka spruce (right) | *Ammophila* in the foreground

A shore pine thicket — Shore pine (left) and Sitka spruce (right) | *Ammophila* in the foreground

Gaultheria shallon, salal

Salal just above beach level. Cobbles in the foreground; beach and surf zone in the distance. — Salal will creep down onto the cobbles

Patch of salal at beach level in the foreground; beach and surf zone in the distance — Salal will creep down onto the cobbles

Salix, Willow
I think this one is Hooker’s willow, S. hookeriana, also known as coastal or dune willow. Wherever the forest drops right down to the beach, especially where there are seeps, Salix can push down toward the intertidal as far as any forest plant – so low that they expose themselves to damage by winter’s high surf. I featured Salix in Sign of the Season.

Rumex, dock
Rumex is kind of a mystery to me. I’ve encountered some real beach pioneers among them. And this makes sense; most Rumex have broad habitat tolerance.