Scientific Family
Boraginaceae
Synonyms
Heliotropium curassavicum var. curassavicum
Other common names
seaside heliotrope
heliotrope
alkali heliotrope
quail plant
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual or perennial
Similar species
Heliotropium convolvulaceum
Height
4 to 20 inches
Riparian
Yes
Bluish stems; fleshy, grayish-green leaves; hairless plant with leafy and diffusely branched stems mostly lying on ground; usually with paired coils of small, white or purplish-tinged flowers; rhizomes send up scattered shoots.
Blue-tinged, smooth stems; favors moist, saline soils; rhizomes send up scattered shoots; stems diffusely branched, semi-succulent, bluish-whitish coating on foliage; hairless curling (scorpoid) spikes of small white or purplish flowers at the tips.
Habitat
Found in marshy soil, alkaline (chalky) or saline soil, often along wetlands and in irrigated areas.
Plant Community
Riparian
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
0
High elevation
5000
Flower Characteristics
In helicoid (spiral-shaped) spikes, these sometimes in clusters of 3 or 4 at branch tips, tightly scorpoid (curled) at the tip in youth; corollas funnel-shaped; 1/16 to 1/4 inch wide, white with yellow spots in center and fading to purplish with age.
Flower color
White or purplish
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
January
Last bloom month
December
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves nearly stalkless, alternate; blades mostly 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long, 1/16 to 1/4 inch wide; narrow to oblanceolate (narrow base with rounded tips); fleshy, surfaces smooth, dull grayish-green; stems bluish; often purplish in age.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Grayish-green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Depressed-globose (round with sunken depression) and thick; about 1/16 inch diameter; separating into 4 nutlets; smooth or faintly rugulose (wrinkled) on the back.
Fruit type
Nutlet
Fruit color
Brown