Primary Dunes

Primary Dunes
.....The primary dunes are important to barrier islands as protection against flood tides and storm surges. These natural barriers are held together by the plant life that lives on them. Similar to the upper beach, the primary dunes offer harsh living conditions. Strong winds, salt spray, low moisture retainment, shifting sand and blazing sun, make this desert area like . Many of the plants living on the primary dunes have developed adaptations similar to those of desert flora. Succulent leaves, extensive root systems and vertical runners that help the plant stay above the shifting sands are some examples. Knowing the importance of the dunes, and how difficult to survive it is for the plants that hold them together, it is easy to see why it is important not to walk on the 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: Sea Oats Linnaeus Classification: Uniola paniculata Description: tall stalk w/ prominent seed head, curly leaf blade Flowering Season: summer-fall
		Common Name: Sandspur Linnaeus Classification: Centrus tribuloides Description: prostrate, sharp burr Flowering Season: fall
		Common Name: Beach Elder Linnaeus Classification: Iva imbricata Description: woody stem, succulent leaf Flowering Season: summer
		Common Name: Bitter Panic Grass Linnaeus Classification: Panicum amarum Description: broad alternate leaves Flowering Season: summer
		Common Name: Salt Meadow Cordgrass Linnaeus Classification: Spartina patens Description: Narrow leaf blade Flowering Season: summer
		Common Name: Wild Bean Linnaeus Classification: Strophostyles umbrellata Description: vine with small red flower, slender black pod Flowering Season: summer-fall
		Common Name: Camphorweed Linnaeus Classification: Heterotheca subaxillaris Description: yellow flower Flowering Season: fall
		Common Name: Butterfly Pea Linnaeus Classification: Centrosema virginiaum / Clitoria mariana Description: vine w/ large purple flower Flowering Season: spring-fall
		Common Name: Grass-leaf Golden Aster Linnaeus Classification: Heterotheca graminifloia Description: grasslike leaf, golden flower Flowering Season: summer
		Common Name: Dune Primrose Linnaeus Classification: Oenothera humifusa Description: prostrate growth w/ pink and yellow flowers Flowering Season: spring-fall
		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