Frankenia salina (Molina) I.M. Johnston =Frankenia grandifolia Frankeniaceae (Frankenia Family) Native Alkali Heath Frankenia

                                         June Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Low perennial herb, bushy, herbaceous or suffrutescent, 1.5-3 dm. high, glabrous to pubescent or subhirsute; lower lvs. obovate, somewhat revolute, 5-15 mm. long, subsessile, united in pairs by membranous base, upper narrower; calyx narrow-cylindric, 6-7 mm. long, furrowed, with acute teeth; flowers solitary in the leaf axils or appearing as though clustered on short branches, petals 4-5, pinkish, 2-4 mm. longer than calyx; stamens 4-7, commonly 5; caps. linear, ca. 5 mm. long; seeds brown, ca. 1 mm. long.

Habitat:  Salt marshes, beaches, alkali flats along or near the coast; Coastal Salt Marsh, Coastal Strand; L. Calif. n. to cent. Calif.  Also on the islands.  June-Oct.

Name: Named for Johan Franke  (1590-1661).  The first writer on Swedish plants.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 484).  Latin, grand, abundant, and flora, of or pertaining to flowers.  (Jaeger 103, 296).  Latin, sal, salt.  (Jaeger 226).  Salina, salty, either because of the way the plant excretes salt through its leaves, or because of its habitat.  (my comments).

General: Common in the study area.  I have found specimens as much as 20 feet above the high tide line and in Big Canyon as high as 45 feet above the fresh water marsh.  Photographed on the North Star Flats, at 23rd Street and west of the Delhi Ditch.  (my  comments).        Despite the very large elevation range in which this species is found, Zedler indicates that more than 70% of the plants will occur between 5.6 and 6.6 ft. above MLLW.  (Zedler 17).       Frankenia salina a broad-leafed plant, offers some relief from the monotony of succulents in southern California marshes.  However, when its small lavender flowers are absent or dry, or when saline conditions have caused its leaves to fold, it too blends in with the pickleweed, saltwort, and Jaumea.  The species appears to be somewhat more salt tolerant than drought tolerant, as suggested by its recent decline in the upper marsh of Los Penasquitos Lagoon.  It was abundant along with saltgrass, Distichlis spicata, during the l970's, but has nearly disappeared from the higher elevations under conditions of brackish, dry soils.  It persists, however, in the adjacent lower marsh, where soils are becoming hypersaline but remain moist.  This suggests that grazing or plant disease were not the cause.  (Zedler 29 & 35).    Salt marsh plants that excrete salt are Spartina foliosa, Monanthochloe littoralis, Distichlis spicata, Limonium californicum, and Frankenia salina.  (Zedler 51).       Salt marsh plants have a higher concentration of salt in their roots than sea water so are able to take in water by osmosis and excrete the salt through their leaves.  The exception to this is pickleweed, which concentrates salt in its terminal joints.  In late fall these tips fall off.  (Native Plant class taught by Dave Bontrager, through Coastline Community College, spring 1985).         For a complete list of the native halophytes of Upper Newport Bay see Spartina foliosa.     Delfina Cuero, a Kumeyaay or Southern Diegueno Indian made the following comments about Frankenia salina in her autobiography:  "We used this as a medicine; made tea with the whole plant and drank the tea for colic."  (Shipek 90).      About 65 species, widely distributed in subtropical and temperate regions.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 484).

Text Ref:  Collins 76; Hickman, Ed. 664; Munz, Calif. Flora 176;  Munz, Flora So. Calif. 484; Roberts 26.

Photo Ref:  May 4 83 # 15; May 5 83 # 6,11; June 1 83 # 4.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by Gordon Marsh.

First Found:  May 1983.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 31.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit  6/9/04.

                                  May Photo                                                                  May Photo