FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Fleshy, light green plant, appearing leafless and found in salt flats. Edible plant; tastes salty.
Description: Upright, low-growing, fleshy herb, reaching 0.3 m high, often smaller.
Leaves: Inconspicuous leaves reduced to small scales along thin upright stems. Stems consist of green, succulent, jointed tubes.
Flowers/Fruit: Tiny white flowers along ends of jointed tubes. Flowering and fruiting July to October.
Habit and Range: Brackish and salt flats and marshes in the outer Coastal Plain.
COMMON CONFUSIONS:
Three species of Salicornia occur in North Carolina: Salicornia ambigua (chickensclaws), S. bigelovii (dwarf saltwort), and S. virginica (Virginia glasswort). S. ambigua grows with tough horizontal stems on the surface to ascending stems growing to 0.5 m long. S. bigelovii has an upright, tree-like branching pattern but grows to about 10 to 15 cm and has pointed inflorescence scales. It has a taproot instead of a rhizome and very fleshy floral spikes. S. virginica has an upright branching patter but grows taller, to about 10 to 30 cm, and has rounded or blunt infloresence scales. It also has a taproot like S. bigelovii but thinner floral spikes.
