Transition Zone

Transition Zone / Upper Marsh Border
.....The transition zone is the area separating the maritime forest from the marsh community. This zone does not exist on all barrier islands, due to erosion and topography. If the land drops at a steep angle down to the marsh, the maritime forest species may grow right to the water's edge. The plants shown below are the species that define this area, but many species from the shrub zone and shrub forest can also be found here. Click on a plant image to see a higher resolution image. All plant illustrations on this page are courtesy of Taylor Schoettle's A Guide to a Georgia Barrier Islands. Click here for ordering and contact info.
		Common Name: Cabbage Palm Linnaeus Classification: Sabal palmetto Description: pinnately-arranged leaves w/ no spines on leaf stalk
		Common Name: Narrow-Leaf Groundsel Tree or False Wilow Linnaeus Classification: Baccharis angustifolia Description: Similiar to the groundsel-tree, but rarer and wit narrower leaf
		Common Name: Red Cedar Linnaeus Classification: Juniperus virginiana Description: short needles and berry like cones
		Common Name: Marsh Elder or High Tide Bush Linnaeus Classification: Iva frutescens Description: serrated leaf, not as fleshy as beach elder
		Common Name: Salt Cedar or Tamarisk Linnaeus Classification: Tamarix gallica Description: small tree of shrub, similiar to red cedar but paler green and more delicate
		Common Name: Groundsel Tree or Cotton Bush Linnaeus Classification: Baccharis halimifolia Description: irregularly shaped leaves, cotton like seed tuffs in the fall
		Common Name: Salt Meadow Cordgrass Linnaeus Classification: Spartina patens Description: Narrow leaf blade