Sea lettuce
Scaevola taccada, Fam. Goodeniaceae
A bushy shrub, 2-3m high, with fleshy stems and smooth green bark.
Weed Category: | |
Weed: | No |
Form or habit: | Shrub |
Family: | Goodeniaceae |
Leaf: | Oblong to spatula shaped, tapering to the base, tip rounded, smooth, fleshy, shiny light green above, dull beneath, 10-22 x 6-11.5cm. Crowded spirally around the stem. |
Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
Flower colour: |
White |
Flower description: | White, five fringed petals on one side of a hairy tubular base, 2-3cm long. Borne in branched clusters in the upper axils. Sporadic flowering. |
Fruit conspicuous: | |
Fruit colour: |
White |
Fruit: | |
Fruit description: | White, smooth, pear shaped drupe, 1-1.3 x 1-1.2cm. Seed enclosed in a hard, ridged stone. |
Habitat: | Coastal dune, mangroves. |
Distribution | Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New Guinea, Malesia. |
Food source for: | |
Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
Origin: | Australia, New Guinea, Malesia. |
Notes: | A hardy, slat tolerant plant ideal for coastal dune areas or well drained sandy soils. Propagate from seed or cuttings. |
Information sources: | Atlas of Living Australia (2022) Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb., Townsend K. & the Society for Growing Australian Plant Townsville Branch Inc. (1994) Across the Top: Gardening with Australian Plants in the tropics. |