Tecticornia pergranulata (Blackseed Samphire)

Scientific Name

Tecticornia pergranulata (J.M.Black) K.A.Sheph. & Paul G.Wilson

Common Names

Blackseed Samphire, Blackseed Glasswort, Bead Bush

Synonyms

Arthrocnemum halocnemoides var. pergranulatum, Halosarcia pergranulata

Scientific Classification

Family: Amaranthaceae
Subfamily: Salicornioideae
Genus: Tecticornia

Description

Tecticornia pergranulata is a small, erect, succulent subshrub up to 3.3 feet (1 m) tall. The stems are woody and segmented without leaves. The branchlets are made of small, bead-shaped segments. The small flowers grow on succulent spikes at branch tips and are produced in spring and early summer. The flowering spike turns into a fruiting spike containing brown or black round seeds.

Hardiness

It is grown as an annual plant, so it has no USDA hardiness zone.

How to Grow and Care

Tecticornia pergranulata is also part of a separate group called the Glassworts. It is halophyte, which means that it grows in areas with high content of salt in the soil. It can be found along the coasts and in the salt marshes and mangroves. Glasswort quickly colonizes mudflats in salty marshes, where other plants cannot survive. People cultivate these plants as a source of food, oil and fuel.

This plant prefers a rich organic soil with ample nitrogen and regular watering. It is not known if the plant will require periodic inundation by salty water to grow well. Glasswort is difficult to grow in cultivation, it can succeed in gardens if sown as soon as the seed is ripe in the autumn in a well-drained soil… – See more at: How to Grow and Care for Glasswort

Origin

Tecticornia pergranulata is native to Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia).

Links

• Back to genus Tecticornia
• Succulentopedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus

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