Salicornia rubra

Red pickleweed

Family: Chenopodiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Red pickleweed is a California native annual found in the central coastal bioregion in salt marshes and alkaline soils at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from August to October, this plant produces small, inconspicuous flowers in compact, fleshy stems. Growing 5 to 25 centimeters tall with somewhat erect, generally branched stems, it forms dense, succulent clusters in saline environments. Its leaves are reduced and scale-like, with obtuse to slightly acute tips that blend seamlessly into the plant's distinctive fleshy structure. The plant produces tiny seeds with short, hooked hairs that aid in dispersal across its salt marsh habitat.

Habitat: Salt marshes, alkaline soils

Bloom period: Aug-Oct

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: CCo

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