Upper Beach

Upper Beach
.....The Upper Beach is the area of the beach face between the intertidal beach and the primary dune. This is usually a dry,sandy area, but can be affected by storms or extremely high tides. Strong winds and salt spray make this part of the beach very inhospitable to most flora. Line of wrack, dead marsh grass stalks and other debris often collect on the upper beach. This wrack, stores moisture and offers a sheltered environment for seeds to germinate. These areas of debris, held together by small pockets of plant life are the birthplace of new dunes. 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: Beach Croton Linnaeus Classification: Croton punctatus Description: gray-green leaves and stem Flowering Season: spring
		Common Name: Orach Linnaeus Classification: Atriplex arenaria Description: succulent grey-green leaf, red stem Flowering Season: summer
		Common Name: Sea Rocket Linnaeus Classification: Cakile edentula Description: succulent, two-section fruit, dies in summer Flowering Season: spring
		Common Name: Fiddle-Leaf Morning Glory Linnaeus Classification: Ipomoea stolonifera Description: succulent leaf, large white flower, ground vine Flowering Season: late summer-fall
		Common Name: Railroad Vine Linnaeus Classification: Ipomoea pes-caprea Description: ground vine, large purple flowers Flowering Season: fall
		Common Name: Russian Thistle Linnaeus Classification: Salsola kali Description: spiney succulent leaf, small prickley flowers Flowering Season: summer
		Common Name: Sea-Purslane Linnaeus Classification: Sesuvium portulacastrum Description: succulent leaves, purple flower Flowering Season: spring
		Common Name: American Beach Grass or Compass Grass Linnaeus Classification: Ammophila breviligulata Description: long thin green leaves, not accompanied by stalks of seed plumes Flowering Season: summer