Samphire

Description:

A lush green succulent about 30mm in height with a stringy woody base. This plant had strands of young bright green succulent stems with distinct nodes and branches, some of them ending in pink tips.

Habitat:

mangrove flats below high tide mark. Salt marshes.

Notes:

Samphire is well known worldwide and has been eaten as a vegetable over the past centuries. In Australia it has played a significant role in the diet of coastal indigenous people and is now becoming popular in some cuisines. It has a salty flavour and a lovely crunch!. Most places prohibit their collection and not surprisingly, samphires are stated to be vulnerable because of the extensive developments along the coastal regions. Identification of the various Samphire species is stated to be difficult without the flowers and seeds; the samphire in my photos appears to fit S.quiqueflora in description and distribution. They are all commonly known as "glassworts" as the ash of species of these plants were used in glass making.