Pacific Seaweeds
40 | Shore plants
Cakile edentula Sea rocket
Angiospearmae Family Brassicaceae
Description
Cakile (Arabic name for this plant) edentula is an annual herb of the mustard family. The epithet ‘edentula’ (toothless) refers to its smooth fruit, which dif-fers from other members of the genus. Fleshy, branched plants, 10–50 cm (4–20 in) tall, produce sprawling to upright stems with alternating spoon-shaped leaves that can be lobed to serrated. Plants are nourished by a taproot. Flowers are a four-petal cross, characteristic of the Brassica family, ranging from delicate purple to white. The green spherical fruits, 1.5–2.5 cm (0.6–1 in) long, form long clusters that weigh down the branches. The seeds float—a very handy feature for a shore plant—allowing effective dispersal by water. The edible leaves and fruit have a hot, radishy kick, a delight in any salad.
The related and similar European sea rocket (Cakile maritima) is an intro-duced species that is reported to be replacing American sea rocket along the west coast of North America. European sea rocket has larger flowers and dis-tinctive “wings” at the base of the fruit. The distribution of both sea rockets, and the apparent displacement of one by the other, is the subject of the West
Cakile edentula.
Shore Plants and Seagrasses | 41
Identifying Pacific Seaweeds
Coast Cakile Project by Professor Roger Cousens (University of Melbourne); the project’s website provides further information on differentiating these species.
Habitat & Distribution
Cakile edentula is most commonly found on moist to wet sandy beaches and dunes above the spray zone. In our region its distribution stretches from Alaska to California.
Fragaria chiloensis Coastal strawberry
Angiospearmae Family Rosaceae
Description
Fragaria (Latin=strawberry) chiloensis is a perennial herb and member of the rose family. Plants grow from a thick, short rhizome to form low-lying shrubs that spread by thin, leafless runners. Leaves are divided into three pale green, hairy, egg-shaped leaflets (each 1.5–4 cm/0.6–1.6 in long) with serrated mar-gins. This species has thicker, more leathery leaves than other strawberries, a necessary feature for life in the windy, salty spray of the seashore. Flowers have five round-to-egg-shaped white petals and grow in clusters of 5–15. Fragaria chiloensis was crossed with another strawberry species to create the modern garden variety. The berries of F. chiloensis are smaller than garden strawberries, 1–1.5 cm (0.4–0.6 in) in diameter, but are sweeter and more delicious. Several
Fragaria chiloensis. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Pacific Seaweeds
42 | Shore plants
coastal indigenous peoples have traditionally eaten the berries raw and made the leaves into a tea.
Habitat & Distribution
Fragaria chiloensis, restricted to areas along the ocean, is found just above the high tide zone along rocky coasts and sand dunes. It is frequent along our coasts from Alaska to California.
Glehnia littoralis (subspecies leiocarpa)
Beach carrot, American silvertop
Angiospearmae Family Apiaceae
Description
Glehnia (named for Russian botanist Peter von Glehn) is represented locally by G. littoralis subspecies leiocarpa. This perennial herb has a stocky tap-root that gives rise to a very short stem. Leaves are divided into a triplet of elliptical to egg-shaped leaflets that are smooth above with an underside of white, woolly hairs. Flowers are white and grow in compact clusters. The spherical fruit are up to 13 mm (0.5 in) broad.
Habitat & Distribution
Found on moist coastal dunes and sandy beaches from Alaska to northern
Glehnia littoralis subspecies leiocarpa. Photo by Jim Riley
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Identifying Pacific Seaweeds
California. Reported to be infrequent on Haida Gwaii and Vancouver Island in BC, and are included in the California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants.
Lathyrus japonicus (var. maritimus) Beach pea
Angiospearmae Family Fabaceae
Description
Lathyrus (Greek=vetch, common name for pea plants) japonicus var. mari-timus is a perennial herb. A rhizome produces stems up to 10–150 cm (4–59 in) long that creep along the landscape via grasping tendrils. Leaves are div-ided into 6–10 oval leaflets, each 1–7 cm (0.4–2.8 in) long and up to 4 cm (1.6 in) wide, arranged in an alternate or pinnate pattern. Flowers take the typical form for the pea family and are often two-coloured, a mix of blue, pink or purple. Seed pods are up to 7 cm (2.8 in) long, canoe-shaped and turn black when ripe, leading the Haida First Nation to give this plant the name “Raven’s canoe.” Each hairy pod contains up to 16 seeds that float in seawater, contributing to the transcontinental distribution of this species.
Habitat & Distribution
Beach pea is found on well-drained sandy or gravelly beaches and dunes, commonly around driftwood above the spray zone. Distribution is from Alaska to Northern California.
Lathyrus japonicus var. maritimus. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Pacific Seaweeds
44 | Shore plants
Sarcocornia pacifica Pickleweed
Angiospearmae Family Amaranthaceae
Description
Sarcocornia (Greek=fleshy horn, a reference to shape) pacifica is a low-lying perennial herb that grows from a branching rhizome.