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American glasswort, Pacific swampfire, perennial saltwort, pickleweed, woody glasswort

Seeds

1.2–1.5 mm, pubescent;

hairs curved or hooked, longer hairs 1–2 mm.

Woody

stems erect or procumbent, creeping and sometimes rooting at base, 10–50 cm;

stems sparingly to much-branched, younger branches with fleshy segments 5–20 × 2–4 mm.

Terminal

spikes: larger with 12–40 segments, 20–85 mm.

Fertile

segments: larger 2–4.5 × 2.5–3.8 mm;

central flowers 1.6–2.8 × 1–2.5 mm;

anthers 0.7–1 mm.

Sarcocornia pacifica

Phenology Flowering late summer–early fall.
Habitat Coastal salt marshes, tidal flats
Elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CT; DE; FL; GA; MA; MD; NC; NH; NJ; NY; RI; SC; VA; Mexico
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Discussion

Sarcocornia pacifica appears to be endemic to the Americas, although its precise delimitation and distribution are unclear. Well-grown plants can be easily recognized by the long terminal spikes, but depauperate plants are difficult to distinguish from S. perennis. The name Salicornia virginica has often been applied to this species.

Salicornia ambigua Michaux, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 2. 1803, may be the earliest name for this species, although it could also be a synonym of Sarcocornia perennis. Until the taxonomy of the east-coast plants of the genus has been resolved, the application of Michaux’s binomial is uncertain.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 4, p. 386.
Parent taxa Chenopodiaceae > Sarcocornia
Sibling taxa
S. perennis, S. utahensis
Synonyms Salicornia pacifica
Name authority (Standley) A. J. Scott: Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 75: 369. (1978)
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