Food Web
Plants: Alkali Heath
- The nectar produced by alkali heath is a food source for insects.
- Alkali heath have small purple flowers with no flower stem.
- This plant grows to about two feet tall.
Alkali heath is one of the more common native plants found in the saltmarsh ecosystem. It is a low, sprawling, bushy shrub commonly found in the drier parts of the saltmarsh with very alkaline soil. The plants prefer to grow in full sun. They can tolerate seasonal flooding.
Insects use this low, sprawling, bushy plant for shade and as a place to hide from predators.
Alkali heath plants excrete salt. Special pores in the plants pump out saltwater through the leaves. The sun evaporates the water and the salt crystals left behind become visible on the leaves.
Fish for more info: http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/alkali_heath/
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