E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Sarcocornia pacifica (Standl.) A.J. Scott
American glasswort (perennial saltwort)
Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family)
(Previously in Chenopodiaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Curtis Bjork  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #15946)

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Distribution of Sarcocornia pacifica
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from a branching rhizome; matted; stems prostrate, freely branched, up to 1 m long.
Leaves:
Stem leaves reduced to opposite, scalelike, fused bracts; lower scales slightly spreading, obtuse to rounded.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of fleshy spikes, the flowers sunken in depressions of the joints just above the axils and opposite fused bracts, the joints of the spike mostly 0.5-2.5 mm long and about as thick as the spikes; flowers in groups of 3, central flowers in each cluster barely exceeding the lateral ones; spikes 1-4 cm long.
Fruits:
Thin, papery-walled, membranous bladders enclosed by spongy flower scales; seeds 1 per bladder, hairy.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Wet salt marshes and beaches in the lowland zone; common along the coast in BC; N to SE AK and S to CA and MX, also along the Atlantic and Gulf of MX coasts.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Sarcocornia pacifica

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 0 68 676
Slope Gradient (%) 0 0 3
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		0
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		6 6 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 D
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 10
Modal BEC Zone Class
 CWH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BG(1), CDF(2), CWH(7)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Salicornia pacifica
Salicornia virginica L.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Amaranthaceae
Flora North America treatment for Chenopodiaceae (Previous Family)
 Flora North America treatment for Sarcocornia pacifica
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-01 8:43:10 PM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
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