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July 1, 2006
 Beach vitex on Carolina beaches is altering sea turtle nesting
habitat and may be costing the lives of newly emerged sea turtle
hatchlings.
Hatchlings have become trapped in the thick tangle of vegetation on
the Isle of Palms, which can exhaust them and lead to their death
before ever reaching the ocean.
Find out more about beach vitex at the Carolinas Beach Vitex Task
Force Web site:
www.beachvitex.org/. Find out more about sea turtles at the S.C.
Department of Natural Resources Marine Turtle Conservation Program
Web site at
www.dnr.sc.gov/seaturtle/. Report any suspected beach vitex
locations by contacting task force coordinator Betsy Brabson at
(843) 546-9531.
A deciduous woody vine native to Korea and other countries in the
western Pacific, beach vitex was introduced to the Southeastern
United States in the mid-1980s for use as an ornamental and also for
beach stabilization. By the mid-1990s, plant specialists began to
notice beach vitex spreading from original plantings on Carolina
beaches, crowding out native dune plants and altering sea turtle
nesting habitat.
In areas where beach vitex has been found, native plants are being
choked out. Sea oats, beach panic grasses and the federally
threatened seabeach amaranth cannot compete with the fast growing
“kudzu of the beach.”
Beach vitex lacks the fibrous root system like the native plants of
Carolina beaches and thus, lacks the ability to trap sand
adequately. As beach vitex dies back each winter, the root systems
can be found exposed where the beach has literally eroded from
underneath the plant, further jeopardizing Carolina beaches.
What can you do to help?
● Don’t plant beach vitex. Contact the Carolina Beach Vitex Task Force
for a list of beneficial native plants that can be used in
landscaping.
● Attend a native plant training session sponsored by the Carolina
Beach Vitex Task Force. Learn how to identify beach vitex and how to
distinguish this plant from native plants.
● Notify the Task Force of any potential beach vitex you may find.
Don’t try to do any removal yourself. The Task Force is mapping all
locations in an effort to monitor this plant. Take note of where you
have seen beach vitex and contact the Task Force.
● Volunteer: The Task Force needs volunteers to monitor Carolina
beaches and to help with projects.
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