Sea Purslane is a
native
perennial plant of the UK, typically found growing in saltmarshes and rocky coastal areas, to a mature height of up to 80cm.
Sea Purslane, as the name suggests, is a salt-tolerant maritime plant and can grow on muddy or sandy saltmarshes, withstanding flooding at high tide. It has tough greyish-green leaves and stems and bears inconspicuous male and female cream flowers on the same plant. The flowers are cup-shaped - the male ones with five long stamens sticking out and the female ones with two exposed styles. Note that if you are researching this plant, Sea Purslane has changed classification in recent years from 'Halimione portulacoides' in the Goosefoot family to 'Atriplex portulacoides' in the Amaranth family. This is because the Goosefoot family is now considered part of the Amaranth family and Sea Purslane has been moved from the Halimione genus to the closely-related Atriplex genus.
Botanic classification and naming: Sea Purslane is a member of the Amaranth (Amaranthaceae) family. The genus name
'Atriplex' identifies the plant as a Saltbush, a plant tolerating saline soil and its species name 'portulacoides' means 'thick-leaved plant'.
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