Salicornia virginica L.
=S. ambigua
Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family)
Native
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Salicornia virginica L.=S. ambiguaChenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family)Native
PickleweedCommon Woody Pickleweed |
July Photo
Plant Characteristics:
Forming extensive colonies, perennial, suffrutescent, decumbent, 2-6 dm.
long, rooting along trailing bases; branches stout, leafless, succulent, erect
or ascending, the joints 6-20 mm. long, 2-4 mm. thick; flowering spikes 1.5-5
cm. long, ca. 3 mm. thick, with 12-18 joints, the fls. almost subequal; seed ca.
1 mm. long.
Habitat:
Coastal Salt Marsh and nearby alkaline flats; some Channel Ids; L. Calif.
to B.C.; Atlantic Coast. Below 100 m. Aug-Nov.
Name:
Salicornia is from two Greek
words for "salt" and "horn".
They are saline plants with hornlike branches. Virginica tells us
that the first specimen was collected from that state. (Dale 97).
General:
Very common in the study area. Photographed
on North Star Beach and along the path from North Star Beach to Mariner's Dr.
(my comments).
Cattle find S. virginica tasty. In the
fall, pickleweed turns red and bronze and even purple, or olive.
(Dale 96,97). One of the native halophytes
found in Upper Newport Bay. (Zedler
16). See Spartina
foliosa for a complete list of the halophytes. (my comment).
Pickleweed, Salicornia virginica,
has the broadest distribution of any southern California salt marsh plant.
It occurs throughout most of the elevational range of cordgrass as well
as the middle and high marsh habitats. Presumably
it is able to grow in saline areas without tidal influence if seasonal rainfall
accumulates long enough to allow seed germination and seedling establishment or
if moisture is available from runoff or subterranean sources.
(Zedler 24). Seventy
percent or more of the species will be found between 3.9 and 5.8 ft. above MLLW.
(Zedler 17). Belding's Savannah sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis beldingi build their first nests in March,
using Salicornia twigs for the shell
and usually anchoring the nest above the ground in dense vegetation.
Two to four eggs are laid, one per day.
However, if disturbed before the final egg is laid, the female commonly
deserts the nest. Egg incubation
seems to require about two weeks. Chicks
are fed by the adults for another week or two, after which time the pair may
establish a second and possibly a third brood.
The latest date when parents were seen feeding young was 12 August.
(Massey 1979). This is a very long breeding season, and coupled with the species
sensitivity to disturbance, means that human activities must be restricted for
most of the year in order to avoid further declines in the populations of the
species. (Zedler 82). Belding's
savannah sparrow has been recognized by the State of California as an endangered
species since 1974. Like the rail,
it is dependent on salt marsh habitat, and populations decline when marshes are
destroyed. Unlike the rail, it
prefers the higher salt marsh habitats, and is particularly abundant in areas
dominated by pickleweed, Salicornia
virginica. Pickleweed is used
for nesting, perching, feeding cover, and as a food source.
(Zedler 81).
See Atriplex watsonii
for comments on feeding by the savannah sparrow.
See also, Salicornia bigelovii
and Salicornia subterminalis (now named Arthrocnemum subterminale)
for additional information on this genus. (my comment).
Delfina Cuero, a Kumeyaay or Southern Diegueno Indian, made the following
comment about Salicornia virginica in her autobiography:
"Some people chew them for the salt."
(Shipek 96).
Text Ref:
Abrams, Vol. II 91; Hickman, Ed. 514; Munz, Flora
So. Calif. 368; Roberts 19.
Photo Ref:
May 5 83 # 16; July 1 85 # 11; Aug 1 85 # 18.
Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.
First Found: May 1983.
Computer Ref: Plant Data 227.
Have plant specimen.
Last edit 6/11/05.
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August Photo May Photo