Practical
Plants

Salicornia bigelovii

Dwarf Glasswort

an annual member of the Salicornia genus in the family Chenopodiaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.3 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seed contains saponins[5]. Although poisonous, saponins are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm. Saponins are quite bitter and can be found in many common foods such as some beans. They can be removed by carefully leaching the seed or flour in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young leaves and stems - cooked or pickled[1][2][3]. The raw seed is inedible due to the presence of saponins, though these remain in the seed-meal when the oil is extracted[5]. The seed contains about 30% of an edible oil and 35% protein[5]. The oil is highly polyunsaturated and similar to safflower oil (Carthamnus tinctorius) in fatty-acid composition[5]. It has a pleasant nut-like flavour and a texture similar to olive oil[5].

Plant part
Leaves
Product or use
Oil

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seed contains about 30% oil[5].

Product or use
Oil

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Florida and Texas.
Habitat
Salt marshes[6][4], often colonising new areas of mud flats through its prolific seed production[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant
Salinity
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in situ as soon as it is ripe if this is possible, otherwise sow in spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of the country. The plants native habitat will give some idea of its cultivation needs. Recent research has shown this plant to have excellent potential as a commercial crop in arid and desert regions near the sea. It needs irrigation, which can sustainably be provided by using sea water.

References

  1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  2. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

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  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  4. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

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  5. - Scientific American August 1998 Scientific American Inc. New York 1998-00-00 ISBN 0036-8733

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  6. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

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