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Beach Vitex
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 Scientific name:
Vitex rotundifolia L. f.
Common names: Beach vitex, chasteberry, roundleaf chastetree, Monk’s pepper |
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Coastal
Communities in the Carolinas Turn the Tide
Against 'Beach Kudzu' (Aug 3, 2011)
Weed Science Society of America.
Just a decade ago, sand dunes, native plants and wildlife along some of the most
popular beaches in the Carolinas were under attack by beach vitex (Vitex
rotundifolia) - a highly invasive plant nicknamed "beach kudzu".
Today, though, the tide has turned thanks to the Beach Vitex Task Force, a unique
public-private partnership established to fight the weed.
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Native To: Asia (Olsen
and Bell 2005)
Date of U.S. Introduction:
1989-1990 (Olsen
and Bell 2005)
Images: Invasive.org and Google
Video:
North Carolina Sea Grant (or click Play button below)
Means of Introduction: Introduced for erosion control (Olsen
and Bell 2005)
Impact: Crowds out native species and may destroy sea turtle nesting habitat (Cousins
et al. 2010)
Current U.S. Distribution:
U.S. States and U.S.National Parks Where Reported Invasive: Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States map
Management Plans: Plants
Selected Internet Resources:
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Federal Government
Vitex rotundifolia
Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Taxonomy
"Kudzu
of the Beach" - Environmental Update (2004)
DOD.
Army Corp of Engineers.
Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution
Vitex rotundifolia Article Citation Search - AGRICOLA Database
USDA. National Agricultural Library.
Research; Special Note: NAL Catalog Search (resources)
Vitex rotundifolia - Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)
USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program.
Taxonomy
Plant profile for Vitex rotundifolia - PLANTS Database
USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
Taxonomy; Distribution
Life's a Beach
DOI. United States Geological Survey.
Photographs; Impacts; Dispersion |
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State Government
Beach Vitex
Hilton Head Island Municipal Government.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts |
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University/Academic
Identifying & Managing Beach Vitex
Clemson University Extension. Home and Garden Information Center.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Controls
Beach
Vitex -
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive
Species and Ecosystem Health.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description;
Photographs; Introduction History; Distribution
Beach
Vitex - Invasive Plant Atlas of the MidSouth
Mississippi State University. GeoResources
Institute.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts;
Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls; Legal Aspects
Beach Vitex: Kudzu of the Coast? - Coastwatch (2006)
North Carolina Sea Grant.
Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Controls
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International
Vitex rotundifolia (shrub) - ISSG Global Invasive Species Database
World Conservation Union. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Controls |
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Organizations
Carolinas
Beach Vitex Task Force
Carolinas Beach Vitex Task
Force.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts;
Distribution
Vitex rotundifolia - Plants of Hawaii
Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk.
Photographs
Hawaiian Plant Threatens South Carolina Dunes (PDF | 389 KB)
South Carolina Native Plant Society.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Habitat; Controls
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Citations
Cousins, M.C., J. Briggs, C. Gresham, J. Whetstone, and T. Whitwell.
2010. Beach
Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia): An Invasive Coastal Species (PDF
| 1.1 MB). Invasive Plant Science and Management 3:340–345.
Olsen, R.T. and A.C. Bell. 2005. History
of beach vitex cultivation: a potential invasive
ornamental (PDF | 418 KB). Pages 531–533 in Proceedings
of the 50th Annual Southern Nursery Association Research
Conference. Atlanta, GA: Southern Nursery Association.
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| Last Modified: Jul 31, 2012 |
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