The Pickleweeds—Saltwort and Glasswort
Maybe you have read about or been told that there are “pickle
plants” in the marsh, or perhaps you have tasted a piece of
their salty, succulent leaves and stems! There are two types
of “pickleweeds” or “sea pickles” found in the high marsh and
salt flats surrounding Kiawah. Saltwort or Turtleweed (Batis
maritima) and American glasswort or perennial glasswort
(Salicornia virginica) are low-growing, specialized halophytes
(salt-tolerant plants) forming dense mat-like colonies that
can withstand high salinity by storing salty water in leaf or
stem tip tissues. When the salt becomes too concentrated, the
leaf or stem tip dies, turning a bright red color and eventually
falling off. In autumn these plants can turn areas of the marsh
into a blaze of red. Both plants have tiny, uncolored flowers
that appear hidden in the joints of the stems.
Saltwort and glasswort (also called sea asparagus) leaves
and stems can be eaten raw in a salad or as a pickle; the leaves
and tips can be boiled, steamed, pureed, or stir-fried, and
the roots can even be juiced to make a coffee sweetener or
boiled into a sweet beverage. The peppercorn-sized seeds of
saltwort have a nutty flavor and are often toasted or popped
like corn. These seeds are very nutritious and contain
significant amounts of many essential amino acids, vitamins,
and minerals. They are also rich in unsaturated oils similar to
those found in sunflower and safflower. In the past saltwort
was used as a medicine to treat gout, rheumatism, and skin
and blood disorders.
Historically, the plants were used in glass and soap-
making. When burned, the ashes produce “soda ash” (sodium
carbonate). Soap is produced when these ashes are added to
animal fat. Fusing the ashes with sand creates glass. Certain
Native Americans tribes used pickleweed ashes to make both
soap and glass. Species of saltwort and glasswort were used
to produce glass in Italy, France, Spain, and England during
medieval times.
Most importantly, these salt-tolerant plants function as
pioneer plants. They colonize marsh salt flats and other similar
habitats where other species cannot survive, allowing new
plants to follow. Saltwort and glasswort can quickly cover areas
when storms and hurricanes have destroyed vegetation. NK
Above and below: Saltwort plants.
Above and below: Glasswort plants.
SUMMER/FALL 2018 • VOLUME 40
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