categoryZShrubs Shrubs List 
categoryZEvergreen Evergreen List 
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SHRUBBY SEA-BLITE

Suaeda vera

Goosefoot Family [Amaranthaceae]

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept month8oct

category
category8Shrubs
category
category8Evergreen
status
statusZnative
flower
flower8yellow
petals
petalsZ0
type
typeZspiked
stem
stem8round
stem
stem8fluted
rarity
rarityZscarce
sex
sexZbisexual
sex
sexZfemale

13th June 2020, the shores of a tidal river, Suffolk. Photo: © Holly Percy
This shows the real shrubbiness of the plant to great effect.


Sept 2019, upper saltmarsh area, Norfolk Coast. Photo: © John Bishop
Occupying coastal shingle or sand on the higher parts of saltmarshes this evergreen often woody shrub grows to 1.2m in height.


Sept 2019, upper saltmarsh area, Norfolk Coast. Photo: © John Bishop
At the time this photo was taken it is just displaying the short, fat, semi-succulent leaves up long thin stems.


7th July 2016, causeway, Isle of Purbeck, South England Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone


18th June 2012, causeway, Isle of Purbeck, South England Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone


Sept 2019, upper saltmarsh area, Norfolk Coast. Photo: © John Bishop
The leaves are glaucous-green because they are covered in tiny pimples which pump out excess salt. Salt is toxic to all plants; saltwater plants can tolerate a little salt by being able to exuding most of it from these kind of pores.

It is possible that the red areas of the cylindrical leaves have been infected with a gall of some sort(?): there are some tiny pustules or 'volcano craters' in the red areas - especially visible on the lower right-most one.



7th July 2016, causeway, Isle of Purbeck, South England Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
These leaves are more rounded-triangular in cross-section, a bit like a banana or the (sharper angled leaves of Hottentot-Figs).
Near the top are some opened flowers displaying the cream-coloured anthers, and the cream coloured pollen. As-yet unopened flowers have a red Style(?) peeking out at the top of the 5 sepals.


7th July 2016, causeway, Isle of Purbeck, South England Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Here the styles (if that is what they were) have mostly turned brown-black.


7th July 2016, causeway, Isle of Purbeck, South England Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
More anthers in the centre.


18th June 2012, causeway, Isle of Purbeck, South England Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Another opened flower near the bottom.


Some similarities to : Annual Sea-blite (Suaeda maritima) but that is much shorter (at 30 (to 75cm max) and usually has longer leaves (3 to 25mm, as apposed to the 5 to 18mm for Shrubby Sea-blite) - and the leaves of Annual Sea-blite are usually thicker (at 1 to 2mm thick, max 4mm) as opposed to 0.8 to 1.5mm for Shrubby Sea-blite). Also, the petal-less flowers usually only have 2 stigmas for Annual Sea-blite (3 stigmas for Shrubby Sea-blite). Annual Sea-blight usually also grows nearer the sea (lower down the saltmarsh) than does Shrubby Sea-blite. The leaves on Annual Sea-blite are usually concave on the upper surface - whereas Shrubby Sea-blite has roundish leaves


  Suaeda vera  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Amaranthaceae  

Distribution
 family8Goosefoot family8Amaranthaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Suaeda
Suaeda
(Sea-Blites)

SHRUBBY SEA-BLITE

Suaeda vera

Goosefoot Family [Amaranthaceae]