Salicornia pacifica

Glasswort

Family: Chenopodiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Glasswort is a California native subshrub found in coastal and southern California bioregions including the Central Coast, San Francisco Bay, Southern California, Channel Islands, and Peninsular Ranges in salt marshes and alkaline flats at elevations below 800 meters. Flowering from July to November, this plant produces inconspicuous greenish flowers in dense spikes 20 to 85 millimeters long. Growing 10 to 70 centimeters tall with spreading to erect stems that occasionally root at the base, it forms a complex branching structure with multiple green branches. Its fleshy, scale-like leaves are reduced, giving the plant a distinctive succulent appearance typical of salt-tolerant coastal habitats. The plant produces tiny seeds with hooked hairs, which aid in dispersal across its saline environments.

Habitat: Salt marshes, alkaline flats

Bloom period: Jul-Nov

Elevation: < 800 m

Bioregions: NCo, SnJV, CCo, SnFrB, SCo, s ChI, PR, DMoj

California counties: Humboldt, Ventura, Orange, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Clara, Solano, Los Angeles, Inyo, Contra Costa, Alameda, Mendocino, Marin, Monterey, Sonoma, San Benito, Napa, Santa Cruz

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