Salicornia pachystachya (PROTA)

Plant Resources of Tropical Africa Introduction

List of species

General importance
Geographic coverage Africa
Geographic coverage World
Vegetable
Medicinal
Forage / feed
Food security

Salicornia pachystachya Bunge ex Ung.-Sternb.

Protologue: Vers. Syst. Salicorn.: 51 (1866).

Family: Chenopodiaceae (APG: Amaranthaceae)

Synonyms

Arthrocnemum pachystachyum (Bunge ex Ung.-Sternb.) A.Chev. (1922), Salicornia perrieri A.Chev. (1922).

Vernacular names

Glasswort, samphire (En). Salicorne (Fr).

Origin and geographic distribution

Salicornia pachystachya grows along the coast of eastern Africa, from Kenya to South Africa, and of Madagascar and other African Indian Ocean islands.

Uses

Young shoots of Salicornia pachystachya are collected from the wild and eaten fresh in salads or as a garnish, pickled in vinegar, or as a cooked vegetable, similar to other Salicornia species outside Africa. The plant is also a good forage for many animals. It is said that juice of the fresh plant is an excellent diuretic.

Properties

Salicornia pachystachya is rich in salt. Formerly, the ash of Salicornia species was used for washing.

Botany

Erect, annual, glabrous herb up to 40 cm tall; stem with numerous suberect or ascending lateral branches, seemingly leafless, built up of numerous superposed, more or less tubular succulent segments, each segment at apex forming a little cup with 2 short teeth embracing the base of the next higher segment; sterile segments cylindrical, 5–10 mm × 2–4 mm, faintly keeled with lateral ridge, glaucous to brown-red; fertile segments aggregated into spikes 1–2.5 cm long at the end of stem and branches. Flowers in clusters of 3, a pair of clusters to each fertile segment, small, immersed, bisexual, protandrous; perianth tubular, minutely 3-toothed; stamens usually 2 per flower; ovary superior, 1-celled, stigma tufted, with 2–3 lobes. Fruit a nut. Seed compressed ellipsoid, c. 1.5 mm long, testa thin, membranous, minutely hairy, brown; embryo folded so that radicle and cotyledons point downward; endosperm absent.

Salicornia comprises 30–40 species, and is distributed worldwide, mostly in saline habitats along coasts. Its taxonomy is not yet well established. The delimitation of Salicornia pachystachya is disputed. Specimens growing less upright with narrower (up to 4 mm in diameter) and more tapering fruiting spikes are often considered to belong to a separate species: Salicornia perrieri A.Chev. In southern Africa flowering is from June to October, fruiting from December to January.

Ecology

Salicornia pachystachya grows in salt marshes and mangrove swamps at sea-level near coasts.

Genetic resources

Salicornia pachystachya is widespread and does not seem to be in danger of genetic erosion.

Prospects

Salicornia pachystachya will remain an interesting vegetable with a distinctive taste. Salicornia in general is becoming more and more appreciated in haute cuisine cooking, and there may also be an increasing demand for Salicornia pachystachya. Its nutritional composition and cultivation requirements on commercial scale deserve more investigation.

Major references

• Brenan, J.P.M., 1964. Chenopodiaceae. In: Turrill, W.B. & Milne-Redhead, E. (Editors). Flora of Tropical East Africa. Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, London, United Kingdom. 26 pp.

• Brenan, J.P.M., 1988. Chenopodiaceae. In: Launert, E. (Editor). Flora Zambesiaca. Volume 9, part 1. Flora Zambesiaca Managing Committee, London, United Kingdom. pp. 133–161.

• Decary, R., 1946. Plantes et animaux utiles de Madagascar. Annales du Musée Colonial de Marseille, 54e année, 6e série, 4e volume, 1er et dernier fascicule. 234 pp.

• van Wyk, B.E. & Gericke, N., 2000. People’s plants: a guide to useful plants of southern Africa. Briza Publications, Pretoria, South Africa. 351 pp.

• Wilson, P.G., 1984. Chenopodiaceae. In: George, A.S. (Editor). Flora of Australia. Volume 4. Bureau of Flora and Fauna, Canberra. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, Australia. pp. 81–317.

Other references

• Cavaco, A., 1954. Chénopodiacées (Chenopodiaceae). Flore de Madagascar et des Comores (plantes vasculaires), familles 66–69. Firmin-Didot et cie., Paris, France. 15 pp.

• O’Callaghan, M., 1992. The ecology and identification of the southern African Salicornieae (Chenopodiaceae). South African Journal of Botany 58(6): 430–439.

• Tölken, H.R., 1967. The species of Arthrocnemum and Salicornia (Chenopodiaceae) in southern Africa. Bothalia 9(2): 255–307.

Author(s)

• P.C.M. Jansen

PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands

Correct citation of this article

Jansen, P.C.M., 2004. Salicornia pachystachya Bunge ex Ung.-Sternb. [Internet] Record from PROTA4U. Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. <http://www.prota4u.org/search.asp>.

Accessed 6 March 2025.

• See the Prota4U database.