Description

Potentially misidentified species- Suaeda linearis is native; Suaeda maritima is possibly introduced (cryptogenic, in this database) from Eurasia (Brown and Brown 1984; Gleason and Cronquist 1991); Bassia hyssopifolia is introduced from central Eurasia, and is introduced on the East Coast from MA to NY, and in the western United States (Collins and Blackwell 1979).

Taxonomy

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family	Genus
Plantae	Magnoliophyta	Magnoliopsida	Caryophyllales	Chenopodiaceae	Bassia

Synonyms

Invasion History

Chesapeake Bay Status

First Record	Population	Range	Introduction	Residency	Source Region	Native Region	Vectors
1938	Established	Stable	Introduced	Regular Resident	North America	Eurasia	Natural Dispersal(Natural Dispersal)

History of Spread

Bassia hirsuta (Hairy Sea-Blite) is natve to Europe, from southern Scandinavia to the northern Mediterranean coast. In North America, it was collected near Boston, MA in 1908 and Long Island 1915, suggesting either rapid spread or multiple introductions. It was probably introduced to North America with dry ballast. Its present range is confined to the Atlantic coast, NH-VA (Gleason and Cronquist 1991; Natural Resources Conservation Service 1998).

Bassia hirsuta was found at Chincoteague Island in 1938, and Ocean City in 1941. Its outhward spread has been attributed to coastal currents or to bird migration (Collins and Blackwell 1979). Higgins et al. (1971) found it 'frequent' on Assateague Island in 1967-69. In the Chesapeake region, B. hirsuta is known primarily from marshes and shores of Assawoman and Chincoteague Bays (Brown and Brown 1984; Collins and Blackwell 1979; Harvill et al. 1992). It is also found on Wallops Island VA (Klotz 1986). McCaffrey and Dueser (1990) found this plant on Cedar, Parramore, Cobb, and Wreck Islands on the Atlantic coast of Virginia. It may be present on the Eastern Shore of lower Chesapeake Bay (Wass 1972), but there are no specific records.

References - Brown and Brown 1984; Collins and Blackwell 1979; Gleason and Cronquist 1991; Harvill et al. 1992; Higgins et al. 1971; Klotz 1986; McCaffrey and Dueser 1990; Natural Resources Conservation Service 1998.

Invasion Comments

Probable Vector into North America - Bassia hirsuta has not been reported on dry ballast, but its close relatives, Atriplex prostrata and Suaeda maritima, were common ballast plants. 'Considering the plant's lack of economic value and its relative unsightliness, it was in all probability not introduced purposefully,' (Collins and Blackwell 1979).

Ecology

Environmental Tolerances

	For Survival		For Reproduction
	Minimum	Maximum	Minimum	Maximum
Temperature (ºC)
Salinity (‰)	0.0	35.0		35.0
Oxygen
pH
	Salinity Range	poly-eu

Age and Growth

	Male	Female
Minimum Adult Size (mm)	200.0	200.0
Typical Adult Size (mm)	300.0	300.0
Maximum Adult Size (mm)	400.0	400.0
Maximum Longevity (yrs)
Typical Longevity (yrs	0.8	0.8

Reproduction

	Start	Peak	End
Reproductive Season
Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event
Sexuality Mode(s)
Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction
Fertilization Type(s)
More than One Reproduction Event per Year
Reproductive Startegy
Egg/Seed Form

Impacts

Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay

Bassia hirsuta (Hairy Sea-Blite) has had no significant economic impact on the Chesapeake Bay region.

Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay

Bassia hirsuta (Hairy Sea-Blite) has had no significant economic impact on the Chesapeake Bay region.or economic impacts elsewhere in North America.

Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species

Bassia hirsuta (Hairy Sea-Blite) is robably too rare and local to have had significant impacts on native biota in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species

Bassia hirsuta (Hairy Sea-Blite) is probably too rare and local to have had significant impacts on exotic biota in the Chesapeake Bay region.

References

Bassett, I. J.; Munro, D. B. (1987) The biology of Canadian weeds. 81. Atriplex patula L., A. prostrata Boucher ex DC, and A. rosea L., Canadian Journal of Plant Science 67: 1069-1082

Brown, Melvin L.; Brown, Russell G. (1984) Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, , College Park. Pp.

Collins, Scott L.; Blackwell, Will H. (1979) Bassia (Chenopodiacae) in North America, Sida 8: 57-64

Fernald, Merritt L. (1950) Gray's Manual of Botany, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.

Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur (1991) Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , Bronx, New York. Pp.

Harvill, A. M.; Bradley, Ted R.; Stevens, Charles E.; Wieboldt, Thomas F.; Ware, Donna M. E.; Ogle, Douglas W.; Ramsey, Gwynn W.; Fleming, Gary P. (1992) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Burkeville, VA. Pp.

Higgins, Elizabeth A. T.; Rappelye, Robert D.; Brown, Russell G. (1971) The flora and ecology of Assateague Island, University of Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin A-17: 1-61

Hill, Steven R. (1986) An annotated checklist of the vascular flora of Assateague Island (Maryland and Virginia), Castanea 51: 265-305

Huiskes, A. H. L.; Koutstaal, B. P.; Herman, P. M. J.; Beeftink, W. G.; Markusse, M. M.; De Munck, W. (1995) Seed dispersal of halophytes in tidal salt marshes, Journal of Ecology 82: 559-567

Kartesz, John T. (1994) A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland., In: (Eds.) . , Portland OR. Pp.

Klotz, Larry H. (1986) The vascular flora of Wallops Island and Wallops mainland, Virginia, Castanea 51: 306-326

McCaffrey, Cheryl; Dueser, Raymond D. (1990) Preliminary vascular flora for the Virginia Barrier Islands, Virginia Journal of Science 44: 259-268

1997-2024 USDA PLANTS Database.. Onine databse

Resource Management Inc. (1993) National list of plant species that occur in wetlands., , Minneapolis.. Pp.

Tatnall, Robert R. (1946) Flora of Delaware and the Eastern Shore, , Wilmington. Pp.