Arthrocnemum subterminale

Parish's glasswort

Family: Chenopodiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Parish's glasswort is a California native shrub found in the Central Valley, Central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, Southern California, Channel Islands, western Mojave Desert, and Sonoran Desert regions in salt marshes and alkaline flats at elevations below 800 meters. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces tiny, inconspicuous flowers in small spikes. Growing in dense clumps up to one meter in diameter with spreading to erect stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms compact, low-growing clusters. Its succulent, jointed stems are distinctive, with green to grayish-green segments that help the plant survive in harsh, saline environments. The fruits are dark brown seeds approximately 1 to 1.4 millimeters long, well-adapted to its salt marsh habitat.

Habitat: Salt marshes, alkaline flats

Bloom period: Apr-Sep

Elevation: < 800 m

Bioregions: GV, CCo, SnFrB, SCo, ChI, w DMoj, DSon

California counties: Yolo, San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Fresno, Merced, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Kern, San Bernardino, Inyo, Imperial, San Mateo, Alameda, Colusa, Santa Clara, Solano

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.