If Miley Cyrus was a plant, she might be salt marsh fleabane. Her beauty, wild ways, and standout personality mirror this marsh plant which is also gorgeous, showy and has exceptional talent.

The plant and Miley both harbor an affection for a particular pigment. If plants could talk, it might have been the bold salt marsh fleabane instead of Miley that said, “Pink isn’t just a color, it’s an attitude too!”

Pink is the color of the flowers of salt marsh fleabane. A late bloomer, it is edging the salt marshes with color and persistence in the face of the coming fall season.

Besides adding blush to the wetlands, salt marsh fleabane is a force of fragrance and utility.

Salt marsh fleabane is known by many, sometimes divergent names, including sweetscent, camphorweed, stinkweed, sourbush and cattle-tongue. Its scientific name is Pluchea odorata, or Pluchea pupurascens.

The contradictory designations offer a curiosity — clearly some enjoy the scent, while others deplore it. Described as camphor-esque, it doesn’t endear itself to deer either, who avoid eating it due to its striking smell.

Other wildlife give it an audience, enjoying and appreciating it, especially pollinating insects such as butterflies (skippers, blues and hairstreaks), native bees, and small flies, which seek out this late bloomer. But fleas, as its name indicates, aren’t huge fans of this marsh celebrity.

People, too, will partake and use this plant as an herbal tea and healing remedy. It is one of those herbs that seem to do it all, with so many uses and benefits as to almost cancel each other out.

In the Caribbean, its dried leaves make a widely consumed, cure-all tea. Women use this plant to stimulate menstrual flow, alleviate cramps, speed up labor, as a wash after childbirth, and also for sterility.

Other uses are numerous and varied. Salt marsh fleabane acts as a stimulant, promotes perspiration and is a diuretic and antispasmodic. It lessens stomach upset and diarrhea and even can be made into a passable eyewash or coffee substitute. And don’t discount its mystical charms of diminishing bad air and lessening fear. Recent studies show that the plant may even be able to disrupt cancer cell progression, hinder tumor formation, and speed healing.

With those talents, perhaps Miley Cyrus still has some work to do to be considered in the same league as salt marsh fleabane. And no matter how she dresses up, she will never be able to wear pink as well.