Scientific Name
Tecticornia pergranulata (J.M.Black) K.A.Sheph. & Paul G.Wilson
Common Name(s)
Blackseed Samphire, Blackseed Glasswort, Bead Bush
Synonym(s)
Arthrocnemum halocnemoides var. pergranulatum, Halosarcia pergranulata
Scientific Classification
Family: Amaranthaceae
Subfamily: Salicornioideae
Genus: Tecticornia
Description
Tecticornia pergranulata is a small salt-tolerant succulent shrub with woody stems and fleshy, dull green or glaucous branches made of small bead-shaped segments. It grows up to 3.3 feet (1 m) tall.
The tiny flowers appear on fleshy spikes at branch tips 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 a halophyte, which means it grows in areas with high salt content 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 rich organic soil with ample nitrogen and regular watering. It is unknown whether the plant will require periodic inundation by salty water to grow well. Glasswort is difficult to grow in cultivation. However, it can succeed in gardens if sown as soon as the seed is ripe in the autumn in well-drained soil.
Origin
Tecticornia pergranulata is native to Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, and Western Australia).
Links
- Back to genus Tecticornia
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus
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