The importance of salt spray to seedling survival, biomass, and distribution was studied on Currituck Bank, North Carolina. Seedlings of shrub zone species, Triplasis purpurea (Walter) Chapman and Myrica pensylvanica Loisel., were cultivated on-site and exposed to natural salt spray levels at least 100 times greater than those occurring in the seaward grass zone. Grass zone species, Uniola paniculata L. and Spartina patens (Aiton) Muhl., were exposed to levels of the seaward forb zone. In addition, the natural distribution of seedlings was monitored among zones. Based upon survival and biomass effects, shrub zone seedlings are capable of tolerating salt spray levels of the grass zone. However, seedlings of M. pensylvanica never appeared in the grass zone nor more than a dozen T. purpurea seedlings at any point in time. Apparently, other factors have primacy over salt spray in restricting seedling appearance in this zone. Likewise, U. paniculata and S. patens seedlings rarely appeared in the forb zone even though they could have survived during extended portions of the growing season.