Invasive beach vitex returns to SC despite eradication efforts

(WPDE) — A non-native plant is taking over the dunes throughout parts of the Southeast including in the Palmetto State.

It’s called beach vitex, something we thought was eradicated here in 2011.

A team of researchers from the North Inlet – Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, which is a partnership between NOAA and the University of South Carolina, are working to solve the problem once again.

Native to the Pacific Rim, Beach Vitex was planted locally after Hurricane Hugo in 1989 to help with dune erosion, but it did the opposite.

It lacks a fibrous root system, meaning it doesn’t trap sand.

A picture of beach vitex and its purple flowers. Courtesy: North Inlet – Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve)

It also grew too well, overwhelming native plants and harming wildlife.

It can grow right over a sea turtle nest. So, they didn’t know when the hatchlings come out, they might actually not be able to get out through the tangle of beach vitex. In some cases, where it was going so thickly, the female sea turtles that come in may not even nest there,” said Jennifer Plunket, with the North Inlet – Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

A massive undertaking to eradicate the plant, with more than $800,000 in funding, took place from 2003 to 2011.

They thought 99% of beach vitex had been removed and the program ended.

However, it turned out it was harder to kill than they thought.

“The seeds are viable forever, roots can grow back from little bits of roots. It’s such a tenacious plant. I think part of it was we just underestimated how good it was going to be at surviving,” said Plunket.

Now, the plant is back.

Plunket and her team recently surveyed along the shoreline from Huntington Beach to North Island finding more than 60 infestations of beach vitex in that region alone, and because of how hardy it is, they need the public’s help.

“What we need the public to do is to report where they’re seeing beach vitex along their property. It can occur streets back from the beach, and that’s a problem too because if you have a plant growing a bunch of seeds, even if we take it all off the beach, one good storm might wash that seed right back onto the beach where it was going to grow again,” said Plunket.

Beach vitex also blends in well with local vegetation, which makes it hard to tell them apart.

A picture of the native plant silver leaf croton. It looks similar to beach vitex. (Courtesy: North Inlet – Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve)

It looks similar to things like Beach Croton, Beach Morning Glory, and Fuzzy Bean.

The key is watching for purple flowers, round leaves, seeds and how it grows.

“If I’m looking it for it from a distance, it’s distinguished by upright stems that grow in sort of a bush form or it also grows on these long runners with a woody stem,” said Maeve Snyder, with the North Inlet – Winyah Bah National Estuarine Research Reserve. She added, “It has a pale almost silvery green, especially if you look on the underside, and they have purple flowers, a light purple flower. Especially in the early summer like May or June.”

Beach vitex is also tricky to remove. People actually have to get certified to be able to do it.

Removers of the beach vitex must slash the stem, then paint herbicide directly onto the beach vitex so it doesn’t harm native plants.

Plunket told ABC15 they’re hoping to attain new funding after completing their research and begin a new eradication effort by next spring.