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Common Name: Sea Sandwort

General Information

Honckenya peploides is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.20 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Coasts of temperate and arctic regions of Eurasia, including Britain, and N. America.

Habitat

By sea coasts on mobile sand and sandy shingle[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.20 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Insects, wind, wind-blown sand, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a well-drained soil and an open sunny position. Plants are tolerant of short periods of immersion in salt water[]. When well sited, the plant can spread quite freely at the roots[].
Grows well in an outdoor bed at Kew[].

Edible Uses

Young shoots - raw or cooked and used as a potherb[, , ]. A sour taste[]. A delicious flavour, they are rich in vitamins A and C[, ]. They are at their best before the plant flowers[]. The leaves can also be fermented and used like sauerkraut[, ]. In Iceland the plant is steeped in sour whey and allowed to ferment. The resulting liquor is said to taste like olive oil and is used as a beverage[].
Seed - used as a garnish or ground into a powder and added to flour[]. Very fiddly to harvest[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer.
Division in early spring. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.