Suaeda maritima

(L.) Dumort.

Amaranthaceae

Suaeda maritima is a polymorphic taxon with a worldwide distribution, including native and naturalized populations. Many varieties and subspecies have been described, mostly distinguished by seed size and growth habit[

270

Title: Flora of N. America
Publication
Author
Website: http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.

+ Synonyms

Atriplex maritima (L.) Crantz

Chenopodina aestuaria Dumort.

Chenopodina bacciformis Dumort.

Chenopodina filiformis Moq.

Chenopodina maritima (L.) Moq.

Chenopodina sativa Moq.

Chenopodina spicata Moq.

Chenopodina tortuosa Moq.

Chenopodium crassifolium Desf.

Chenopodium filiforme Dumort.

Chenopodium hortense Raddi ex Moq.

Chenopodium hostii Ledeb.

Chenopodium jacquinii Ten.

Chenopodium macrocarpum Desv.

Chenopodium maritimum L.

Chenopodium prostratum Roxb. ex Hook.f.

Chenopodium salsum Guss.

Chenopodium spicatum Schult.

Cochliospermum cavanillesii Lag.

Dondia fernaldii Standl.

Dondia maritima (L.) Druce

Dondia richii (Fernald) A.Heller

Kochia sedoides (L.) Schrad.

Lerchia maritima (L.) Kuntze

Salsola carnosa Moq.

Salsola chenopodiana Moq.

Salsola elata Wight

Salsola fruticosa Wall.

Salsola hostii Tratt.

Salsola indica Willd.

Salsola marina Moq.

Salsola maritima (L.) M.Bieb.

Salsola scabra Moq.

Salsola sedoides L.

Salsola strobilifera Moq.

Salsola succulenta Moq.

Schoberia crassifolia Steud.

Schoberia dumortieri Steud.

Schoberia indica (Willd.) Kostel.

Schoberia linifolia Nutt. ex Moq.

Schoberia macrocarpa C.A.Mey.

Schoberia maritima (L.) C.A.Mey.

Schoberia montana Nutt. ex Moq.

Schoberia tortuosa (Moq.) Bunge

Schoeberia complanata Westerl.

Schoeberia ramosa Westerl.

Suaeda aestuaria Dumort.

Suaeda albescens Lázaro Ibiza

Suaeda bacciformis Dumort.

Suaeda californica Nutt. ex Moq.

Suaeda cavanillesiana (Lázaro Ibiza) Cout.

Suaeda chenopodioides Pall.

Suaeda crassifolia Heynh.

Suaeda fernaldii (Standl.) Standl.

Suaeda filiformis Dumort.

Suaeda indica (Willd.) Moq.

Suaeda jacquinii Dumort.

Suaeda littoralis Grecescu

Suaeda macrocarpa Moq.

Suaeda richii Fernald

Suaeda tortuosa Moq.

Common Name: Sea Blite

No Image.

General Information

Suaeda maritima is usually a prostrate to ascending, annual plant that grows around 5 - 100cm tall. The plant is occasionally erect and can also sometimes become mat-forming[

270

Title: Flora of N. America
Publication
Author
Website: http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.

].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials. It is used along sea shores to help fix sand dunes.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Title: Flora of the British Isles.
Publication
Author: Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 1962
ISBN: -
Description: A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

Title: Flora of the USSR.
Publication
Author: Komarov. V. L.
Website: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher: Israel Program for Scientific Translation
Year: 1968
ISBN: -
Description: An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.

Range

Mainly coastal areas and inland saline areas:- through most of Europe east to western Siberia; N. Africa to India; eastern N. America

Habitat

Salt marshes and sea shores, usually below the high water mark of spring tides[

Title: Flora of the British Isles.
Publication
Author: Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 1962
ISBN: -
Description: A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Wind, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Suaeda maritima
Dislikes shade. See the plants native habitat for other ideas on its cultivation needs.

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked[

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.

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.

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 pleasant salty flavour, they make a nice addition in small quantities to a salad[

Title: Plants for a Future
Author: Ken Fern
Description: Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

]. They are often mixed with other vegetables in order to reduce their saltiness[

183

Title: Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
Publication
Author: Facciola. S.
Publisher: Kampong Publications
Year: 1990
ISBN: 0-9628087-0-9
Description: Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

]. The young shoots are pickled in vinegar and eaten on their own or used as a relish[

183

Title: Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
Publication
Author: Facciola. S.
Publisher: Kampong Publications
Year: 1990
ISBN: 0-9628087-0-9
Description: Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

]. A wholesome vegetable[

2226

Title: Saline Agriculture: Salt-Tolerant Plants for Developing Countries
Publication
Author: Report of a Panel of the Board on Science and Technology for
Publisher: National Academy Press; Washington, DC.
Year: 1990
ISBN: 0-309-58246-6
Description

].

Seed - raw or cooked.

Medicinal

The stems have laxative properties, which disappear when the stems are boiled[

Title: Flora of the USSR.
Publication
Author: Komarov. V. L.
Website: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher: Israel Program for Scientific Translation
Year: 1968
ISBN: -
Description: An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant has been used for fixing seashore sand dunes[

2226

Title: Saline Agriculture: Salt-Tolerant Plants for Developing Countries
Publication
Author: Report of a Panel of the Board on Science and Technology for
Publisher: National Academy Press; Washington, DC.
Year: 1990
ISBN: 0-309-58246-6
Description

Other Uses

The ashes of the plant provide a soda that is used in making glass and soap[

Title: Edible and Medicinal Plants.
Publication
Author: Launert. E.
Publisher: Hamlyn
Year: 1981
ISBN: 0-600-37216-2
Description: Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ.

Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2025-05-11. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Suaeda+maritima>

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