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Holdfasts or Roots
Seaweeds are distinguished from other algae by being anchored to the sea floor, but they do not draw nutrients from the soil through these "holdfasts." The roots of shore plants, especially those closest to waterlines, also serve more to anchor the plants than to supply water and nutrients, which are in short supply in beach soils.
Structure and Appearance
Seaweeds are distinguished from plankton in that they are big enough to see with the naked eye, constructed of multiple cells. They may get that big by accumulating colonies of cells or by organizing their cells into plant-like structures. These structures do not generally have the same functions they do in plants on shore. Shore plants tend to have waxy or even fleshy leaves and may be hairy. Their stems, as in other land plants, contain transport systems for nutrients.
Reproduction
Only land plants have flowers or reproduce through fruits and seeds. For example, railroad vine, also known as beach morning glory or bay hops, produces large, bright flowers on its carpet of green leaves. Seaweeds and other algae do most of their reproduction by spores, though some have complex sexual processes.
Withstanding the Currents
Some seaweeds have structures that suggest leaves and others look more like vines with balloons strung on them. The balloons are floats to help the seaweed reach up into the water. Shore plants, especially in the pioneer area closest to the water, are also often vine-like, staying close to the ground to resist the wind and spreading across the ground to avoid being buried in the sand. Seaweeds survive the currents of the water mostly by bending with them. They do not generally have strong enough structures to stand without the support of water.