Biology
Salicornia dolichostachya © Dr Robert Huxley
Salicornia dolichostachya stems are:
- fleshy
- segmented
- dull green to yellowish brown or purplish
- many branched with a long terminal spike which is usually between 50 and 120 millimetres long
The branches have slightly beaded segments.
Leaves are reduced to tiny lobes at the top of the stem segments.
Flowers are wind-pollinated and:
- are small fleshy discs on the upper stems
- appear in opposite groups of mainly 3s with the middle one longer than the others
- have tiny stamens protruding from a small pore
- have a forked stigma that rarely protrudes from the pore
The seeds are:
- buried deep in the tissue of the stems
- released when the plant dies and dries up in the autumn/winter
- distributed by the surrounding sea water
Salicornia dolichostachya is usually found low down on salt marshes.
