Every Tuesday in 2021 we will present a 10 second video highlighting a native plant in Indian River County! If you have a plant species you’d like highlighted let us know! Conservation@ircgov.com

Today’s plant is Marlberry or Ardisia escallonioides, but don't be confused with this lovely maritime hammock native! The non-native ardisia elliptica or shoebutton ardisia is a close doppelganger The native marlberry is most easily distinguished because the new growth comes from brown (not reddish/pink) tips. It has fragrant cream to white flowers and the berries will go from green (as seen in this video) to deep purple in the fall. The non-native elliptica has reddish/pink new growth with pinkish green new leaves and color at the base of the leaf. Native marlberry will be found scattered with a high diversity of other native plants unlike the non-native which will soon take over and become a nasty monoculture choking out biodiversity! 

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