PlantFiles: Sea Oats
Uniola paniculata

Because of their beauty, Sea Oats have been overharvested in the past. They are strictly protected now because their rhizomatous growth habit protects our Florida beaches and dunes.

Sea oats is a handsome ornamental grass, at its best in cultivated beds placed where its nodding seedheads can draw attention. Sea oats is tolerant of salt spray and saline soils. It is, however, invasive, spreading by rhizomes, but easy to cut back and well worth the effort.

The mature seedheads are very decorative and commonly used in dried floral arrangements. Sea oats is often used in dune stabilization programs because its extensive system of underground stems and roots helps reduce erosion. The dried and cooked seeds are said to make a flavorful cereal.

Wild sea oats is protected in Florida and Georgia (and probably other states as well), not because it is endangered or threatened, but because it performs a valuable ecological service by stabilizing sand dunes. It is unlawful to pick wild sea oats (even the seeds), but you can buy the plants or the seeds from native plant nurseries who have permits to propagate protected species.