pickleweed

Pickleweed is the common name for several salt-tolerant plants in the genus Salicornia, a group of succulent halophytes also known as glasswort or samphire. These plants are typically found in coastal environments, especially salt marshes and brackish wetlands, where they tolerate periodic flooding and high salinity. They are often inconspicuous and low-growing, with jointed, fleshy stems that can form dense mats along mudflats and shorelines.

Description of pickleweed plants centers on their succulent, segmented stems. Leaves are reduced to tiny scales along the joints, and the stems may be green, yellowish, or reddish depending on light and season. Flowers are small and clustered in the joints or leaf axils, and the fruits are tiny capsules containing seeds. The overall appearance is a creeping or upright, branching form that is well suited to saline soils and fluctuating water levels.

Pickleweed species occur in temperate and subtropical coastal regions around the world, including North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. They commonly dominate or form prominent components of salt marsh communities and can contribute to sediment stabilization and shoreline protection. Like many halophytes, they employ mechanisms such as salt glands and succulent tissues to manage high salinity and water stress.

Humans value pickleweed most for its edible shoots in certain cultures. Young, tender tips have been eaten raw or cooked and are sometimes referred to as samphire in Britain; they have also been pickled or used as a vegetable in other regions. Taxonomically, pickleweed encompasses several Salicornia species, and some classifications place related species in Sarcocornia, reflecting ongoing revisions in the group.