Seasonal Wild Flowers

Purple Glasswort

Salicornia ramosissima

Amaranthaceae

August to September

It is patchily scattered round the coast.

See the BSBI distribution map for Purple Glasswort

It grows mainly on the middle and upper parts of

saltmarshes.

Purple Glasswort is a native, annual, succulent

marine herb growing up to 50cm (usually much shorter).

The 3 triangular flowers are purple, of roughly equal

size, and in the axils of the leaves.

There are 2 stamens per flower (see Common Glasswort).

The leaves are scale-like, in opposite pairs, and fused

round the stem to form the succulent segment.

They are mainly purple, but may be green when they

are difficult to distinguish from Common Glasswort.

Purple Glasswort, Chesil Beach, Dorset

Branched stem

Small stencil-like flowers in axils of leaves

Fused leaves forming stem segments