Dune Marsh-elder
Iva imbricata
Found in dunes, upper beach, island-end flats. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 71%
- Height
- Up to about 3 feet

At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Bloom
- August to November
Not yet recorded · Spread · Light · Soil · Leaves
Recorded in 2 Alabama counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 137 animals.
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Wilson's PloverCharadrius wilsonia
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- American OystercatcherHaematopus palliatus
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Barn SwallowHirundo rustica
- Black SkimmerRynchops niger
- Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticorax
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Brewer's BlackbirdEuphagus cyanocephalus
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Common Ground-doveColumbina passerina
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii
- Eastern Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis carolinensis
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- Great EgretArdea alba
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleuca
Who uses this plant?
4CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL
Genus host records with ranges including AL · Iva
- Argyrotaenia ivanaIvana Leafroller Moth
- Schinia gracilentaIva Flower Moth, Slender Flower Moth
- Bucculatrix ivella
- Gnorimoschema terracottella
3BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Iva
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
4BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Iva
- Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
- Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
- Peucaea aestivalisBachman's Sparrow
- Spizella passerinaChipping Sparrow
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Plant details
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Flower color
- White
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Late August to November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “White” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Height · “Up to about 3 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- primary_flower_color · “white” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Also known as
Dune Marsh elder
Conservation status
| Alabama rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5? |
| AL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- Alabama Plant Atlas
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications

























