Family | (Caryophyllaceae) |
---|---|
Bloom | Summer |
Habitat | Dunes, fields, roadsides |
Status | Non-Native INVASIVE |
Cycle | Perennial |
Height | 2-16″ |
Flower | Flowers are tiny white 5-parted 1/8″ wide forming branched clusters. |
Leaf | Leaves are lance-shaped 1-3″ long. |
Notes | Baby’s breath escaped from gardens and is considered an invasive species. There are programs in the park to remove it in the critical dune areas. While the plant looks delicate, it has a very large taproot that can grow to over 6′. Baby’s breath over-stabilizes the dunes preventing the natural movement of the sand and chokes out the native dune grasses. |