Heliotropium curassavicum (Salt Heliotrope)

Native to tropical and subtropical America, Australia and Hawaiʻi, this low, branching succulent herb grows in moist, saline or brackish soils, often near coasts. Its leaves are fleshy, hairless and often bluish-green. Curled flowering spikes carry small white flowers, and the fruits divide into four nutlets. It spreads by seed and by shoots from underground buds, allowing it to form dense patches in disturbed ground. Introduced widely beyond its native range, it is invasive along Egypt’s Mediterranean coast and in parts of the Nile Delta. Photographed in Colombia.