Sea Purslane
Halimione portulacoides

Family: Chenopodiaceae

What it is like

Halimione portulacoides is an evergreen Shrub growing to 0.8 m (2ft 7in). It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to September. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Height (m): 0.8

Where it is found

Salt marshes, especially fringing channels and pools, usually flooded at full tide.

Europe, including Britain, south and east to N. Africa and W. Asia. Also in S. Africa.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Leaves - raw in salads or cooked as a potherb. Thick and succulent with a good crunchy texture and a natural saltiness. They need careful washing when collected from the wild.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

Succeeds in poor soils, saline soils and a sunny position. Tolerates light shade and maritime exposure.

Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. The seed germinates from winter onwards. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Very easy. Division in spring.

Best place to grow: Bog Garden; Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness:

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist, wet

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Atriplex portulacoides. Obione portulacoides.