View source for Sarcocornia

{{Treatment/ID
|accepted_name=Sarcocornia
|accepted_authority=A. J. Scott
|publications={{Treatment/Publication
|title=B ot. J. Linn. Soc.
|place=75: 366. 1978
|year=1978
}}
|common_names=Samphire;glasswort;saltwort
|basionyms={{Treatment/ID/Synonym
|name=Salicornia sect. Perennes
|authority=Duval-Jouve ex Moss
}}
|synonyms=
|hierarchy=Chenopodiaceae;Sarcocornia
|hierarchy_nav=<div class="higher-taxa"><div class="higher-taxon"><small>family</small>[[Chenopodiaceae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>genus</small>[[Sarcocornia]]</div></div>
|etymology=Greek sarco, fleshy, and Latin cornis, horned, in reference to the appearance of the plants
|volume=Volume 4
|mention_page=page 258, 259, 260, 321
|treatment_page=
}}<!--

--><span class="statement" id="st-undefined" data-properties=""><b>Shrubs,</b> glabrous. <b>Stems</b> apparently jointed and fleshy when young, becoming woody and not jointed, not armed; some stems terminated by an inflorescences, others entirely vegetative. <b>Leaves</b> opposite, united at base, petiolate, decurrent forming fleshy joints (sterile segments) fleshy on stem, fleshy; eventually deciduous; blade fleshy triangular projections at tips of joints, edges with narrow scarious margins. <b>Inflorescences</b> terminal and lateral, spikelike, apparently jointed, each joint (fertile segment) consisting of 2 opposite, axillary, 3(–5)-flowered cymes embedded in and adnate to fleshy tissue of distal internode; flowers in each cyme arranged in transverse rows, central flower separating lateral flowers, slightly larger; flowers in each cyme partially separated by flaps of tissue which persist on stem when flowers have fallen. <b>Flowers</b> bisexual or unisexual, ± radially symmetric; perianth segments persistent in fruit, 3–4, united except at tip, fleshy; stamens 1–2; styles 2–3. <b>Fruits</b> utriclelike, ellipsoid; pericarp membranous. <b>Seeds</b> vertical, ellipsoid; seed coat light brown, membranous, pubescent; hairs strongly curved or hooked and slender, or conic, straight or slightly curved; perisperm absent. <b>x</b> = 9.</span><!--

-->{{Treatment/Body
|distribution=North America;w Europe;Mediterranean region;s;e Africa;Australasia.
|discussion=<p>Species ca. 15 (3 in the flora).</p><!--
--><p><i>Sarcocornia</i> is taxonomically difficult and has never been the subject of a taxonomic revision for the Northern Hemisphere. Although it is possible to identify dry specimens to some extent, by comparison, it is impossible to obtain from dried specimens data that can be used in a taxonomic revision. Characters that may be taxonomically useful are lost on drying, especially flower and inflorescence characters and those derived from the fleshy vegetative segments. Habit appears to be useful, but few specimen labels note the habit of the living plant, and the parts collected rarely allow for a reliable determination of habit. Some species, such as <i>S. perennis</i> are prostrate, with the woody stems readily rooting in the substrate. Others such as <i>S. pacifica</i> are procumbent to erect shrubs in which the woody stems usually do not root. This apparently obvious habit difference is sometimes confounded by external factors, erect species becoming procumbent due to water movement, trampling, or burial by silt or sand deposits. Conversely, prostrate rooting species can be disturbed by erosion and appear to be procumbent plants of a nonrooting species.</p><!--
--><p>One of the most useful characters, the indumentum on the testa of the seeds, is rarely present in dried specimens because of the lateness of the plants’ flowering season. Plants collected in August and September rarely have even immature seeds present, so most herbarium specimens do not display this character.</p><!--
--><p>The consequence of these problems is that most accounts of <i>Sarcocornia</i> in North America recognize only one species, frequently using the name <i>Salicornia</i> virginica Linnaeus for the collective entity. The type specimens of <i>S. virginica</i> were collected by John Clayton, presumably from Virginia, which are immature annuals and not flowering. The name <i>S. virginica</i> cannot be applied to a species in this genus.</p>
|tables=
|references=
}}<!--

--><div class="treatment-key">
==Key==
<div class="treatment-key-group">
  
{| class="wikitable fna-keytable"
|-id=key-0-1
|1
|Seeds smooth except for conic, straight papillae on edge; papillae 0.6-0.9 mm; anthers 0.9-1.8 mm
|[[Sarcocornia utahensis|Sarcocornia utahensis]]
|-id=key-0-1
|1
|Seeds covered with slender, hooked or strongly curved hairs; hairs mostly 1-2 mm; anthers 0.7-1 mm
|[[#key-0-2| > 2]]
|-id=key-0-2
|2
|Plants with creeping, rooting, woody stems; erect stems simple or sparingly branched, 10-20(-30) cm; longest terminal spikes with 7-14 fertile segments
|[[Sarcocornia perennis|Sarcocornia perennis]]
|-id=key-0-2
|2
|Plants with erect or procumbent woody stems, sometimes creeping and rooting at base; stems sparingly to much-branched, 10-50 cm; longest terminal spikes on plant with 12-40 fertile segments
|[[Sarcocornia pacifica|Sarcocornia pacifica]]
|}
</div></div><!--

-->{{#Taxon:
name=Sarcocornia
|author=Peter W. Ball
|authority=A. J. Scott
|rank=genus
|parent rank=family
|synonyms=
|basionyms=Salicornia sect. Perennes
|family=Chenopodiaceae
|illustrator=Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey
|distribution=North America;w Europe;Mediterranean region;s;e Africa;Australasia.
|reference=None
|publication title=B ot. J. Linn. Soc.
|publication year=1978
|special status=
|source xml=https://jpend@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-data-curation.git/src/8f726806613d60c220dc4493de13607dd3150896/coarse_grained_fna_xml/V4/V4_765.xml
|genus=Sarcocornia
}}<!--

-->[[Category:Treatment]][[Category:Chenopodiaceae]]