Sarcocornia fruticosa
(L.) A.J.Scott
Amaranthaceae
Arthrocnemum fruticosum (L.) Moq.
Salicornia corticosa (Meyen) Walp.
Salicornia europaea fruticosa L.
Salicornia fruticosa (L.) L.
Salicornia gaudichaudiana Moq.
Salicornia herbacea fruticosa L.
Salicornia peruviana Kunth
Suaeda corticosa Meyen
Common Name: Glasswort
General Information
Sarcocornia fruticosa is a succulent, perennial plant with erect, much-branched stems that do not form roots; it grows 50 - 150cm tall.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of potash.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
50- Title
- Flora Europaea
- Publication
-
- Author
- ?
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1964
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
Range
Throughout the Mediterranean Region apart from Syria and Lebanon
Habitat
By the seashore, especially in salt marshes[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
50- Title
- Flora Europaea
- Publication
-
- Author
- ?
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1964
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial |
| Height | 0.60 m |
| Pollinators | Wind |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Sarcocornia fruticosa is a plant of coastal areas around the Mediterranean, experiencing a climate that is hot and dry in the summer, cool and moist in the winter.
Edible Uses
Leaves - raw[
2- Title
- Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hedrick. U. P.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- 0-486-20459-6
- Description
- Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
,
177- Title
- Plants for Human Consumption.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kunkel. G.
- Publisher
- Koeltz Scientific Books
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 3874292169
- Description
- An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
]. A brackish taste[
105- Title
- Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
- Publisher
- Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
].
Medicinal
The whole plant is used in the treatment of eczema and other skin diseases[
1276- Title
- Antiviral activity of some Tunisian medicinal plants against Herpes simplex virus type 1
- Publication
- Natural Product Research, 22:1, 53 - 65, 2008
- Author
- Sassi, A. Ben, Harzallah-Skhiri, F., Bourgougnon, N. and Aou
- Website
- http:// http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14786410701589790
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2008
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
].
Other Uses
The ashes of the plant, and of allied species, yield soda which is used in making soap and glass[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
6- Title
- Plants with a Purpose.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Mabey. R.
- Publisher
- Fontana
- Year
- 1979
- ISBN
- 0-00-635555-2
- Description
- Details on some of the useful wild plants of Britain. Poor on pictures but otherwise very good.
].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots. Grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring, after the last expected frosts.
Division.
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
