# silver beachweed (*Ambrosia chamissonis*)

Silver beachweed is a plant that grows in sandy places near the ocean. Its leaves are silvery and can help protect the beach from wind and waves.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Coastal areas

![silver beachweed](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Ambrosia_chamissonis.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Eric in SF, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ambrosia_chamissonis.jpg)

## Appearance

The silver beachweed has distinctive silvery-green leaves, densely covered in fine hairs, giving it a soft, frosted appearance. It grows low to the ground with a sprawling habit and produces small, inconspicuous greenish-yellow flowers.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Asterales
- **Family:** Asteraceae
- **Genus:** Ambrosia

## Interesting facts

- It's a 'pioneer species,' one of the first to colonize bare ground!
- Its pollen, like its cousin ragweed, often makes people sneeze!
- Its tiny seeds can drift on ocean currents to find new homes!
- This tough plant helps new sand dunes begin to form on the coast!

## Special abilities

- **Sunscreen Leaves:** Silver beachweed has fuzzy, silvery leaves that reflect harsh sunlight, helping it stay cool and conserve precious water in sunny coastal areas.
- **Sand Engineer:** Silver beachweed can develop strong, widespread roots that grip sandy soil, preventing beach erosion during strong winds and waves.
- **Salt Survival:** Silver beachweed can tolerate high levels of salt spray from the ocean, allowing it to thrive where most other plants cannot.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-60 cm
- **Spread:** 30-100 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.1-0.3 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer to fall
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Wind

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** Beachweed Moth (*Eucosma agricolana*) — Larvae feed on the leaves and stems of beachweed plants.
- **Eaten by:** [Mule Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mule-deer) (*Odocoileus hemionus*) — Coastal deer occasionally browse its foliage when other food is scarce.
- **Eaten by:** [California Vole](https://www.snappit.app/explore/california-vole) (*Microtus californicus*) — Small coastal rodents might nibble on its leaves and stems.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.
- [Salt Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/salt-tolerant): Salt tolerant plants can withstand and grow in conditions with elevated salinity levels in the soil or water.
- [Drought Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/drought-tolerant): Drought-tolerant plants can survive and flourish in conditions with limited water availability.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater.
- [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't touch plants without asking an adult.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify silver beachweed?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is silver beachweed?

10-60 cm

### How wide does silver beachweed spread?

30-100 cm

### How big are the flowers on silver beachweed?

0.1-0.3 cm

### When does silver beachweed bloom?

Summer to fall

### Is silver beachweed edible?

No

### Is silver beachweed toxic?

Mild

### What is silver beachweed's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

---

Source: [Silver Beachweed: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/silver-beachweed)