beach naupaka
Scaevola sericea · Goodeniaceae
beach naupaka (Scaevola sericea) is a perennial shrub in the Goodeniaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 10 and warmer, down to about 31°F.
At a glance
| Type | shrub USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 10 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Water need | low USDA |
| Growth rate | moderate USDA |
| Soil pH | 5.5–8 USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 10 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It grows in partial shade. USDA rates it as having low water needs once established. Its drought tolerance is rated high. It handles periodically wet ground (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance medium). It is recorded on soils from pH 5.5 to 8 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 10.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 10 ft, making it a plant that will finish above head height. It grows at a moderate rate.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its active growth period is year round. Its winter foliage is dense, which makes it useful for year-round screening. USDA rates its lifespan as long.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 20 to 150 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 20 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
It takes readily from seed, cuttings, bare root and container stock. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a moderate rate. It spreads vegetatively at a slow rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. Its fire tolerance is rated medium, and it can resprout after damage. Its growth form is recorded as single stem.
Role in a guild
Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Similar role and hardiness
- pigeonpea Cajanus cajan
- varigated chastetree Vitex trifolia
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol SCSE6, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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