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Scaevola taccada
Also called Naupaka, Beach Cabbage, Beach Naupaca, Cardwell Cabbage, Beach Scaevola, Half Flower, Pipetree
In Singapore: Ambung-ambung, Merambung, Pelampung, Sea Lettuce, Sea Lettuce Tree (Native to Singapore, Least Concern)
A salt-tolerant coastal shrub or small tree from the Indo-Pacific that grows right at the shoreline in sand or pebbles. It needs full sun, good drainage and protection from frost, and it is mainly grown for coastal stabilisation and landscaping.
Scaevola taccada, also known as beach cabbage, sea lettuce, or beach naupaka, is a flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae found in mangrove swamps and rocky or sandy coastal locations in the tropical areas of the Indo-Pacific. It is a common beach shrub throughout the Arabian Sea, the tropical Indian Ocean and the tropical islands of the Pacific Ocean.
There has long been confusion over the correct scientific name for this species. It is also known by the synonym Scaevola sericea.
The species is found in coastal areas and beaches of Okinawa, Taiwan, Southern China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor, Northern Australia, Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, East Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Oman, Yemen, India, Maldives, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Chagos Islands, Comoros, and Réunion.
In some islands of the Pacific, Scaevola taccada is used to prevent coastal erosion as well as for landscaping. It is also planted on the beach crests to protect other cultivated plants from the salt spray.
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Scaevola taccada by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
