[ 4 X5 3
SALICORNIA annua.
Annual Samphire or Jointed Glafswort.
MO N A N D R I A Monogynia.
G en. C har. Calyx inflated, undivided. Petals none.
Stamina i or a. Seed one, enclofed in the calyx.
Spe c. C har. Joints compreffed, notched ; interftices
obconifcal. Branches oppofite. Spikes cylindrical.
S yn . Salicornia annua. Smith FI. B rit, in ed. i . Baß.
Opufc. v . a. 105. t. 10.
S. europsea a. Hudf. FI. A n. 1.
S. herbacea. Linn. Sp. P I. 5. With. Bot. A r r . 3. ed. 3.
v . a. 4. Relh. Cant. Suppl. a. 1.
Salicornia. Rail Syn. 136.
O n fea fliores in places overflowed by the tide, more efpe-
cially on a muddy foil, plentiful, flowering in Auguft or
later ; the ground it covers often appears at a diftance clothed
With a moft beautiful turf interfered by rivulets, but on a near
approach it proves a dreary inacceflible falt-marlh, where fcarce-
ly any thing but this plant will thrive. j
Root fmall, annual. Stem ere&, fometimes curved and inclining
m the lower part, from whence alfo, if luxuriant, it
generally throws out two large compound branches; the others
are moftly Ample, oppofite, each pair crofling the next, and all
pointing upwards. The bark is of a very fucculent fubftance ;
the woody part ftrong and tough, though flender. T he whole
herb is of a jointed appearance externally, fmooth, deftitute of
leaves. Joints more or lefs compreffed, notched or hollowed
out on each flde, and their interftices thickened upward. Spikes
terminating the ftem and branches, and like them in figure^
but compofed of much fhorter joints, juft above the pointed
part of each of which on either fide ftand about three feflile
cluftered flowers. Calyx fwelling, with an abrupt entire border.
Stamen we have always found folitary, with an incumbent
anthera. Germen ovate, with a three-cleft feflile ftigma.
Seed folitary, imbedded in the pulpy calyx.
What we have defcribed is only the flrft variety of Hudfon -,
the others we hope to illuftrate on fome future occaflon, believing
them fpecifically diftindl from this.
This herb is much eaten as a pickle, but has little flavour of
its own; in which refpedl it differs from the highly aromatic
true Samphire, Crithmum maritimum.