|                    Samphire, Silverhead
                      |  
              
                |                    Blutaparon vermiculare  
                      |  
              
                |                    Amaranthaceae 
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                 Landscape Uses:
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                 Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. | 
               
                Ecological Restoration Notes:  | 
               
              
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                 A common coastal plant, but most frequent in tidal marshes. | 
               
              
                | Availability: | 
               
              
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                 Rarely grown by native plant nurseries. | 
               
              
                | Description: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Small creeping herb. | 
               
              
                | Height: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Typically 2-4 inches in height or smaller.  Spreading along the ground and forming mats. | 
               
              
                | Growth Rate: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Moderate to fast. | 
               
              
                | Range: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Monroe County Keys north to Volusia and Levy counties; Louisiana and Texas; West Indies, Mexico, Central America, South America and western Africa. | 
               
              
                | Habitats: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Coastal wetlands and, less frequently, coastal uplands. | 
               
              
                | Soils: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Wet to moist, periodically inundated brackish or saline soils. | 
               
              
                | Nutritional Requirements: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive. | 
               
              
                | Salt Water Tolerance: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 High; tolerates flooding by salt water. | 
               
              
                | Salt Wind Tolerance: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury. | 
               
              
                | Drought Tolerance: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought. | 
               
              
                | Light Requirements: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Full sun. | 
               
              
                | Flower Color: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 White. | 
               
              
                | Flower Characteristics: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Semi-showy. | 
               
              
                | Flowering Season: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 All year; peak in spring. | 
               
              
                | Fruit: | 
               
              
                |   | 
                 Inconspicuous utricle. | 
               
              
                | Wildlife and Ecology: | 
               
              
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                | Horticultural Notes: | 
               
              
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                 Can be grown from cuttings. | 
               
              
                | Comments: | 
               
              
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                    Jennifer Possley, 2016 Big Munson Island, Monroe County, Florida, USA, Enlarge
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