Consumption-Weed Baccharis halimifolia

Siverling, in the Asteraceae (daisy) family, is a native shrub to the coastal areas of the eastern US.  It is commonly found in salt marshes, sandy locations, wet disturbed sites, near a road, fields, and is occasionally sold in the nursery trade for its unique foliage and flowering season.  The genus Baccharis is named after the god of wine and the species epithet hamimifolia means leaves like Atriplex halimus, another plant with resinous grayish green leaves. 

This plant is commonly seen as a multi-trunked plant with an irregular, open, airy habit that can become leggy. As a seedling it resembles lambsquarters. In the fall and winter, plants may be covered with white to cream-colored flower heads.  Seeds are shed in late fall or winter, but the seeds of the female plant (this plant is dioecious) are poisonous. Wind-dispersed fruits blow into landscapes during the winter months and the seeds easily grow (because they do not mind the shade when seeds first start growing), making this a weedy plant.  

Plant in the full sun to partial shade in a range of soil types, even poor fertility, wet sites, and dry soil.  Heat, drought, waterlogged soils, and salt spray are all tolerated. It may even be seen growing in a place after a fire: therefore, it is very weedy because it can grow in many conditions. Though it is not commonly used as a landscape plant, if you are to plant it, it is best used as filler or on the edge of a natural area. 

Silverling is dioecious: male pollinator plant needed for female fruit set. Female fruits are very showy. It can be an aggressive grower in agricultural/silvicultural situations; it has spread inland along salted roads.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  The wood is brittle. It can be weedy and if undesired, the seedlings are not well controlled by preemergence herbicides, and selective postemergence controls are not available. Hand-weeding the seedlings when small is the best option for removal.