SEA ARROW-GRASS
Triglochin maritima
(Formerly: Triglochin Maritimum)
Arrow-grass Family [Juncaginaceae] 
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Arrow-grass Family [Juncaginaceae]
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category
status
flower
flower
inner
morph
petals
type
stem
coriander
sex
_2009_08_05_Blackpool_StAnnes_Lytham_071p3.jpg)
| 5th Aug 2009, Marshes, Lytham St Annes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
A typical clump which grows up to 60cm high, usually a little taller than its thinner relative Marsh Arrow-grass. The leaves are grass-like but furrowed. |
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| 23rd May 2008, Salt-marshes, Shell Island, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
| A typical tuft but much earlier in the year, looking like Sea Plantain (but that can have cream-coloured anthers sticking out around [some part] of the flowering spike). |
_2009_08_05_Blackpool_StAnnes_Lytham_071p14.jpg)
| 5th Aug 2009, Marshes, Lytham St Annes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| The flowers (now turned to fruits) are in long spikes, but with a slightly longer and about twice as broad a spike than those of Marsh Arrow-grass. |
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| 23rd May 2008, Salt-marshes, Shell Island, North Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
| The broader and green barrel-shaped objects are the fruits, here with (seemingly) 4 white cross-shaped styles (Stace says that the number of styles is '±0' - giving the option of it either being minus one or maybe minus a quarter. Erm...). The browner ones here are less mature and some still have three petals plus three sepals attached. |
2014_07_06_Southport_Marshside_Sandpit_circ_ClaireSlater_103p993.jpg)
| Photo: © RWD |
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Here the stem is expanding increasing the distance between the fruits aka seed capsules, some of which further down have dropped off. A leaf is being held up on the right it is semicircular in cross-section with an almost flat side which is sometimes slightly concave especially lower down.
The flowers/fruits are held a little way off from the stem (unlike those of Marsh Arrow-grass which might touch the stem). |
2014_07_06_Southport_Marshside_Sandpit_circ_ClaireSlater_101Top.jpg)
| Photo: © RWD |
| The fruits/seed capsules (here brownish) are on shorter stalks than those of Marsh Arrow-grass. Here they are surrounded by 3 petals and 3 sepals offset by 60° from each other (but in this photo the petals are mostly hidden by the outer sepals). |
_2009_08_05_Blackpool_StAnnes_Lytham_074p0001.jpg)
| 5th Aug 2009, Marshes, Lytham St Annes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| The stems are apparently ribbed, but these are the petioles of the flowers which run down the stem some way before fully merging with the stem. A long spike of flowers with only the top one-third shown. Some of the (outer) sepals have splayed outwards and downwards revealing the 3 petals still surrounding the fruits. |
_2009_08_05_Blackpool_StAnnes_Lytham_072p000.jpg)
| 5th Aug 2009, Marshes, Lytham St Annes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| The flowers have three red-tinged green sepals (here some are curled out well below the flower) and three petals also green tinged-red. The central green 'barrel' will eventually contain the seeds and is in six sections (unlike the 3 sections of Marsh Arrow-grass seeds). |
2014_07_06_Southport_Marshside_Sandpit_circ_ClaireSlater_102p2.jpg)
| Photo: © RWD |
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Here the ridges on the stem are in evidence - they are the stalk of the fruit running down the stem a way before fully merging with the main stem. All petals and sepals have dropped off leaving the 6-compartment seed capsule fully naked.
The flat(ish) side of the leaf is on the right with the lower half of the leaf at the bottom is beginning to be slightly concave. The half-round side is hidden on the other side. |
_2014_07_06_Southport_Marshside_Sandpit_circ_ClaireSlater_109p333.jpg)
| Photo: © RWD |
| The half-round side of the leaf. |
_Arrowgrass(Sea)2014_07_06_Southport_Marshside_ClaireSlater_096p64.jpg)
| Photo: © RWD |
| The fruits of those on the left are larger and more ripe than those on the left which still have some sepals or petals attached. |
2014_07_06_Southport_Marshside_Sandpit_circ_ClaireSlater_100p1.jpg)
| Photo: © RWD |
2014_07_06_Southport_Marshside_Sandpit_circ_ClaireSlater_105p6.jpg)
| Photo: © RWD |
| The fruits are between 3 and 5mm long, barrel-shaped and have 6 fertile compartments. These are shorter but much wider than the 3 splayed out linear cells of Marsh Arrow-grass. |
_2015_08_12_Blackpool_LythamStAnnes_Lytham_532p77.jpg)
| Photo: © RWD |
| This one with 3 sepals and 3 petals still attached. The 6 compartments are barely discernible, except from the opening at the top. |
[bottomFlr(4sepals)_2015_08_12_Blackpool_LythamStAnnes_536p55.jpg)
| Photo: © RWD |
| The fruit case is minutely ridged axially. |
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Easily confused with : Marsh Arrow-grass, but that likes marshes rather than the salty sea water in salt-marshes. The flowers in Marsh Arrow-grass are green but edged purple and in a shorter spike than Sea Arrow-grass. However, the seeds are not long and narrow and in threes which are slightly splayed out as is Marsh Arrow-grass, but rather fat and barrel-shaped divided into SIX compartments. No relation to : Arrowhead [a plant with similar name] Some similarities to : Sea Plantain which grows in similar places on sandy shores, but has a shorter flowering spike that has cream coloured anthers surrounding (at least part of) the flowering stalk. It is Not a grass. It is native and found near the sea all around the coastal areas of the British Isles in saltmarshes, brackish grazing marshes or grassland sprayed by sea-water after strong onshore winds. It only rarely occurs in salty places inland.
It both smells and tastes of the spice
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 Triglochin
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maritima
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⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ |
Juncaginaceae
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 Triglochin (Arrow-grasses) |
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Arrow-grass Family [Juncaginaceae]
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BSBI maps