overwintering on the dunes in South and North Carolina and in gulf coastal areas. It can survive in USDA hardiness zones 6b to 10. Growth The plant grows rapidly, and reproduces through vegetative means. As the plant matures, it begins to flower. After maturation, the plant produces large numbers of fruits (up to 5581 fruits per square meter). Pollination Insect visitation is the likely method of pollen transfer due to the spatial separation of the anthers and stigma, which would make self-pollination unlikely. Abe reported V. rotundifolia flowers on Nishino-shima Island were visited by flies, honey bees, beetles, butterflies, and ants though most of the visitors were ants. Diverse groups of pollinators visit the flowers in search of the 0.5 µl/flower nectar reward. Due to this wide range of visitors, it is unlikely the plant would require a specialist insect to mediate successful pollination. Dormancy Evidence indicates that beach vitex possesses a combinational dormancy mechanism. This dormancy mechanism is made up of a physical dormancy component and a physiological dormancy component. The physical dormancy mechanism is believed to be inforced at least in part by cuticular alkanes that prevent water penetration. The mechanism of the physiological dormancy component is not yet fully understood. This dormancy mechanism allows for the establishment of a substantial soil seed bank that is capable of surviving and producing new seedlings in excess of 4 years after all vegetation has been removed. Dormancy mechanisms also allow the plant to undergo long-distance dispersal. Dispersal There is substantial supportive evidence of a water-based dispersal mechanism for beach vitex fruits. V. rotundifolia plants are present throughout the Pacific including coastal areas of two continents and many islands. Bird dispersal is highly unlikely as there is no fleshy fruit reward; water dispersal is the most likely dispersal means capable of enabling dispersal over such long distances. Fruits are covered with thick coatings of hydrophobic cuticular alkanes allowing them to resist water penetration for extended periods. Researchers have observed V. rotundifolia fruits floating on rivers and oceans. Genetic diversity Genetic diversity within populations has been found to be much lower than the average for most woody plants. Additionally, the divergence between populations was found to be higher. There were large genetic differences between populations, indicating there is limited gene flow between populations. This is understandable due to the limited ecological niche beach vitex inhabits. Since the populations are largely clonal, this