Bush Seepweed
Suaeda nigra
Family: Chenopodiaceae
What it is like
Suaeda nigra is a ANNUAL growing to 1.5 m (5ft). It is in flower from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
Height (m): 1.5
Where it is found
Alkaline, saline, and gypseous places of the interior, mostly in deserts, occasionally coastal, rarely estuarine, from sea level to1600 metres.
South-western N. America - California to Texas and north to Saskatchewan .
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Leaves - cooked. A salty flavour. They are used as a condiment to add a salty flavour when cooking other foods.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors at least in the milder parts of this country. A very variable species. It dislikes shade, see the plants native range for other ideas on its cultivation needs.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in situ.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual
Hardiness:
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist