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Frankenia jamesii
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Frankenia palmeri |
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Frankenia salina |
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Trees and Shrubs of Kern County (Jan 2013) Frankenia salina (Ocimum salinum Molina 1782) I. M. Johnston 1924. A rounded bushy plant < 1 m high that is partly herbaceous, whitish green; leaves small, opposite and in clusters (fascicles), narrowly elliptical in outline, 3–4× long than wide (5–15 mm), curled under slightly along margins (revolute); flowers appearing Jun-Oct, petals pink; fruit a capsule. A widespread species of coastal salt marshes, alkali flats in the inland areas of southern California, to Nevada, Arizona, Mexico, and South America. Type from Santiago, Chile. Alkali heath marsh recognized in MCV2 when >30% relative cover in the herbaceous layer. Kern Co.: “A common and characteristic plant of alkali sinks in the valley, desert, and the Temblor Range” (Twisselmann), 81–918 m (CCH). Frankenia palmeri, which is of limited occurrence along coastal salt marbles in San Diego Co., is common along coastal hillsides in Baja California. A sample of the plant collected during the 1980’s was active in selective antitumor assays. Active agents are unknown.
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