Okaloosa/Walton Sea Grant Agent Brooke Saari is posting the wanted poster in those counties to see if the plant has reached their coasts. Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus) is a plant used in herbal medicine. What is the La Nina? It is native to Asia, including China and Japan, and also to Oceania, including Australia and Papua New Guinea. Beach Vitex – ‘Kudzu’ of the Carolina Coast By: Betsy Brabson1 and Randy G. Westbrooks2 October 14, 2004 Introduction. It is much less labor intensive and less costly when there are few plants. It grows so aggressively that during the 60 day incubation time many nests are overgrown entrapping the hatchlings; some have been found entangled within the rhizome mats dead. did it impact this hurricane season? It is now causing problems for sea turtles. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. ), depending on the species. Vitex supplements typically contain extracts of the fruit and/or seed of the plant. It's also appeared in Okaloosa County and Jacksonville, as well as Alabama's Baldwin and Mobile counties. By the mid-1990's, plant specialists began to notice beach vitex spreading from original plantings on state beaches, crowding out native plants such as sea oats and sea beach amaranth. It can be a bad boy. Reports from that coast indicate that it has extended south into Volusia County. “Beach vitex needs to be positively identified first because we have so many native plants on the beach that it could be confused with.” Last summer, the task force received an overwhelming number of beach vitex sightings, she adds. Madison Arnold can be reached at marnold@pnj.com and 850-435-8522. Fig. . Beach vitex expands its woody rhizomes aggressively; it can actually grow over sidewalks and driveways. Vitex rotundifolia, commonly known as beach vitex, is a low, woody, perennial shrub with branches that can run for many meters. At this time, six properties on Santa Rosa Island have confirmed records of Vitex and two more will be surveyed soon. As you can see in some of these photos, the plant grows over the fore-dune, blocking access for nesting. A “Wanted Poster” was developed by O’Connor to post in the coastal communities of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties to see if the plant was more common than the records indicated. *The pre-mixed solutions in “Pump–N-Go” and “Ready-to-use” bottles are not Beach vitex has been identified on several properties on Pensacola Beach and in recent months on at least one property on Perdido Key. Scientists from South Korea evaluated the apoptotic mechanism of Vitex rotundifolia L. fruit extract against human colorectal cancer cells. So here’s the rule: In those sections of the country that beach Vitex is way too frisky for its own good, don’t plant it, and, when you see it, kill it. Which goes back to the question I'm trying answer: It may be more widespread than we think.". Please circulate to area residents to provide visual identification of Beach Vitex. It was selected because of salt tolerance, production of woody rhizomes (runners) that extend over 60 feet to trap sand, and the beautiful purple flowers that attract beneficial insects; it seemed perfect! Beach vitex has a taproot system, unlike the fibrous one of the sea oat, and cannot stabilize a dune as well – which is a problem during storms. It is found in coastal Alabama and there is one record of the plant in Escambia County. How it got to the Pensacola Beach is somewhat of a mystery. If you do choose to remove it please contact your local Extension office first. About ViteX ViteX is a decentralized exchange with its own native token, VX. If you do an internet search for this plant, the first thing that you’ll see is that it is considered an invasive species on the eastern coast of the US. Beach Vitex grows so aggressively that during the 60 day incubation time many turtle nests are overgrown, entrapping the hatchlings. Beach vitex is native to sandy coastal areas (e.g., beaches, rocky shorelines and sand dunes) in Japan, eastern Asia, Southeast Asia and India plus along the shorelines in a large number of Pacific islands. [Accessed Sep 10, 2014]. This yard on Pensacola Beach has become overrun by vitex. Some have been found dead, entangled within the rhizome mats. Contact your Extension Office for control options and help reduce it’s impact on native species. The first record for vitex in the Florida panhandle was in 2012. Beach vitex is a prolific seed producer. If someone believes they found a beach vitex, they can photograph it and send it to O'Connor at roc1@ufl.edu or call the extension office at 850-475-5230. The wanted poster program was published in the local newspaper which reached the east coast of Florida. You just can't do it.". ViteX - Exchange By the Community, For the Community. But there’s no need to worry here in Central Texas. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Sea Grant Extension Agent in Escambia County. For example: Round-Up Super Concentrate Weed and Grass Killer, 50.2% Glyphosate, isopropylamine salt; $50 / quart. Beach Vitex. Invasive Plant Science and Management 3:340–345. A crawling plant originally thought to stabilize dunes has since been labeled an invasive species, and experts who have found it on Pensacola Beach say it may pose a risk to hatchling sea turtles and beach mice. Beach vitex spreading from beach front properties on Pawleys Island, SC. It is mined exclusively by the ViteX community and is used to allocate rewards back to the community. So it could easily cover up a sea turtle nest and even entrap the hatchlings. Vitex Rotundifolia. 1). However, based on the experience in the Carolina’s and other invasive species, if you wish to eradicate this plant doing so early is important. Rick O’Connor, the UF/IFAS Extension sea grant agent in Escambia County, has been working to eradicate the weed from the area. Anyone along the coast of the Florida Panhandle who feels they may have this plant can contact either Rick O’Connor (850-475-5230; roc1@ufl.edu) or Brooke Saari (850-689-5850; bsaari@ufl.edu) and we can confirm identification. Taxi proposed:Water taxi dock at Community Maritime Park could bridge gap between Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Sand lost:Navarre Beach lost about 100 million cubic yards of sand during Hurricane Sally. Sea turtle hatchlings become entangled in the thick vegetation of Beach Vitex and perish before reaching the ocean. That just solves an invasive problem we don't really want to have," O'Connor said. He said experts aren't sure of whether the mouse would eat the seeds of the beach vitex. The state of Florida recently listed beach vitex on the noxious weed list, making it illegal to purchase the plant in Florida or move it into or within state boundaries, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension Office. . Beach vitex is a good candidate for this. O'Connor is also concerned about the beach mouse, which feeds on the seeds of native plants. Olsen, R.T. and A.C. Bell. Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia L.f.) is a deciduous woody vine that was introduced to the Southeastern U.S. from Korea in the mid-1980s.Before its introduction to the southern Atlantic Coast of the U.S., beach vitex had no history of invasiveness. VX has no pre-sale. The plant is not currently listed as invasive in our state and removal is not required. Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia L. f.) is a low-growing, shoreline shrub in the subfamily Viticoideae of the family Lamiaceae (formerly in Verbenaceae) (Cantino 1992; Harley et al. Leaves are round, silvery, gray-green, and have a spicy fragrance. But one day more recently, O'Connor was hiking at the Naval Live Oaks area and found it there. Although it provides a vegetative cover for the dunes, it does so at … A local citizen in Gulf Breeze (Santa Rosa County) reported it on her beach and believed it may have come from Santa Rosa Island… it did. Despite the fact that it was introduced for the purpose of erosion control, there is evidence that beach vitex is not as efficient for du… However the woody rhizomes are still present. Vitex Plant Care. Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) is an invasive species that can crowd out native plants such as sea oats. We can provide methods of successful removal. Seeds are spread by animals, wind, and water. Some have been found dead, entangled within the rhizome mats. Water taxi dock at Community Maritime Park could bridge gap between Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Navarre Beach lost about 100 million cubic yards of sand during Hurricane Sally, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Problem. ViteX Coin, VX, is the coin native to the ViteX platform. Fig. Meet the Author: In Memory of Shep Eubanks. – Vitex rotundifolia L.f., commonly referred to as beach vitex or roundleaf chastetree, is a low-growing, crawling, invasive shrub that was discovered growing wild on the backslope, crest, and foredune of Willoughby Spit in Norfolk, Virginia by L. Rosenberg in September 2008 (Fig. And now he's found one plant on Perdido Key as well. According to the records the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System EDDmaps.com, Beach Vitex is distributed northward to the Chesapeake Bay area and south to Jacksonville. With so few records in Florida it is not currently listed as an invasive species in our state and there is no program set up to control it. Vitex rotundifolia, commonly called beach vitex or round-leaf vitex, is a prostrate-sprawling woody shrub that grows to 1-2' tall with an indefinite spread to 10-15' or more. Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) is a deciduous woody vine from the Pacific Rim, that was introduced to the Southeastern U.S. in the mid-1980’s for use as an ornamental and for beach … Beach Vitex grows so aggressively that during the 60 day incubation time many turtle nests are overgrown, entrapping the hatchlings. Beach vitex begins as a vine and has leaves that are almost circular with a silvery bluish tone. So here’s the rule: In those sections of the country that beach Vitex is way too frisky for its own good, don’t plant it, and, when you see it, kill it. Beach vitex covers a secondary dune on the Isle of Palms near Charleston, SC. It is now causing problems for sea turtles. Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia): an invasive coastal species (PDF | 248 KB). Vitex is effective medicine for breast pain, irregular periods, premenstrual mood symptoms, and some types of acne. They will need to either dig this up or use multiple chemical applications to completely remove. As you can see in some of these photos, the plant grows over the fore-dune, blocking access for nesting. He discovered the beach vitex on Pensacola Beach five or six years ago when a homeowner found it on their property. "Our recommendation is, again, if you're concerned about dune stability and erosion of your property, we would recommend removing it and putting in a native plant. Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia), is a deciduous woody vine from the Pacific Rim, that was introduced to the Southeastern U.S. in the mid-1980's for beach stabilization. Vitex rotundifolia. Editor’s note: Rick provided all the photos in this article. Their findings were published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. In the 1990’s, the state of South Carolina planted this shrub to help restore dunes lost during hurricanes. and if landscapers used the plant as described in this treatise, well, the end result is no problem. by Rick O'Connor | Jul 20, 2013 | Habitat Conservation, Invasives, Plants. "Or else ... it's here. Prior to its intoduction to the South Atlantic coast of the U.S., beach vitex had no history of invasive-ness. 2005. 1. They produce a beautiful lavender flower, which is an uncommon color for native plants, O'Connor said. Problems Caused Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia L.f.) is a deciduous woody vine that was introduced to the Southeastern U.S. from Korea in the mid-1980’s. 3. They produce a beautiful lavender flower, which is … O'Connor had relative success destroying the weeds back then, and many homeowners who had it as landscaping were receptive to pulling it. "The thing with invasives is you really got to get them quick and early," O'Connor said. The plant grows over the fore-dune, blocking access for nesting. Displaces native beach grasses and wildflowers, including rare species. As you can tell from some photos in the attached websites, the plant grows over the fore dune blocking access for nesting. It’s actually a pretty plant, this Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia), and it is very good at stabilizing eroding dunes. The genus Vitex contains several plants that grow as deciduous shrubby plants or small trees and are called chaste trees or just vitex (Vitex spp. VX holders can receive daily ViteX Dividends from a shared dividend pool which aggregates all trading fees accumulated by ViteX and redistributes back to VX holders. This dormancy mechanism is made up of a physical dormancy component and a physiological dormancy component. It can also be detrimental to the dunes themselves. The Beach Vitex “invasion” has become so bad that South Carolina developed a Vitex Task Force to deal with the problem. In our Zone 8 region of Texas, we have never seen a seedling and if landscapers used the plant as described in this treatise, well, the end result is no problem. Beach vitex causes problems for sea turtles. The plant grows vines across the surface of sand, and in the summer it can grow as much as 20 feet per week, O'Connor said. The beach vitex was brought to the United States from Asia and introduced in the Carolinas to stabilize fragile dunes following Hurricane Hugo in 1989, according to the UF/IFAS Extension Office. If it's on public land, peoplene can pull it up, O'Connor said. Also known as chaste tree or chasteberry, it's often taken as a remedy for women's health problems. Some have been found dead, entangled within the rhizome mats. Beach vitex begins as a vine and has leaves that are almost circular with a silvery bluish tone. You can go out and pull all you want but there's just so many. O'Connor said he asked all the homeowners who had it where it came from and they said they bought it at a nursery or their landscaping company chose it. The owner of this yard mowed the vitex. The plant is allopathic – it can release toxins that kill neighboring plants allowing them to move into that space – this includes sea oats. FIRST RECORD OF VITEX ROTUNDIFOLIA (VERBENACEAE) IN VIRGINIA. However, folks along the Atlantic coast had no idea how invasive it would become a few years later. The thick cover of beach vitex can hinder efforts of loggerhead sea turtles to lay their eggs and prevent hatchlings from making their way to the sea. "My hunch is it was being sold through the commercial horticulture businesses, but why it was being used here and not other places, I don't know. The barrier island location was logged on EDDmaps and the Gulf Breeze plants were removed. The fruit of V. rotundifolia or beach vitex has been reported to induce apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells through the accumulation of oxygen species. The most apparent characteristics of beach vitex are the rapid growth of runners along the beach sand surface and the thick clumps it forms after a few years. Today, however, it is considered a noxious weed and invasive species due to its aggressive spread and competition with native flora and fauna. "There is a potential during a hurricane that the dune is not as secure as it would be had the native plants been there," O'Connor said. Beach vitex thrives on coastal sand dunes and was introduced into the southeastern United States for use as an ornamental and dune stabilizing plant. Residents discovered that it chokes out many of the native species such as sea rocket and sea oats producing an area of only this plant. It has been a particular problem in beach areas of the Carolinas and is now working its way into Florida. It grows so aggressively that during the 60-day incubation time many turtle nests are overgrown, entrapping the hatchlings. Fortunately, it does not have that effect on women. The physical dormancy mechanism is believed to be inforced at least in part by cuticular alkanes that prevent water penetration. Beach Vitex US in 1955 Nurseries mid - 1980’s Mid - 1990’s - problems on Primary dunes beach Aggressive and invasive vegetative stems/rooting at nodes Seed … The weed soon took over, however, because it releases chemicals in the soil that draw water away from other plants such as sea oats and causes them to die off, O'Connor said. There's nothing you're going to do. BEACH VITEX ERADICATION Scratch and Dab Method Herbicide Glyphosate is available at home and garden stores and can be used to kill Beach Vitex. However the Sea Grant Extension Agent in Escambia County, Rick O’Connor, was alerted in 2013 that vitex was in Gulf Breeze, Florida (Santa Rosa County) and possibly on Santa Rosa Island (Escambia County). The sea oats have a fibrous roots to hold the dunes together, unlike the tap root of the beach vitex. Through vegetative reproduction and seed production, beach vitex rapidly forms large monocultures and crowds out native dune species, including the rare sea beach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus), which is federally listed as threatened. It is now causing problems for sea turtles. It can be a bad boy. "We are completely baffled by that," O'Connor said. Beach Vitex Invades the Carolina Coast Threatening Native Dune Plants and Sea Turtles Beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) is a deciduous, woody vine from Japan and Korea that was introduced to the southeastern U.S. in the mid-1980s as an ornamental landscape plant as … We would also like to photograph and log the record on EDDmaps. Beach vitex does spread quite nicely, but it will not become invasive in your landscape. Evidence indicates that beach vitex possesses a combinational dormancy mechanism. Why the Concern About Beach Vitex? But if it's on the Gulf Islands National Seashore or on private property, people can only notify the extension office. Vitex rotundifolia, commonly known as Beach Vitex, is a perennial, invasive species of plant that was introduced to the southeastern United States in the mid- 1980s with hopes that it would stabilize coastal sand dunes.Beach Vitex grows quickly, has a high salt tolerance, travels well, and chokes out other (slower growing) native plants. History of beach vitex cultivation: a potential invasive ornamental (PDF | 2.34 MB). In our Zone 8 region of Texas, we have never seen a seedling . 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