Home → Communities, Plants, and Animals → Rare Plants → Salicornia bigelovii
(Printer Friendly Version-pdf-127 KB) (Download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Salicornia bigelovii Torr.
Dwarf Glasswort
- State Rank: S1
- Global Rank: G5
- State Status: Special Concern
Habitat: Saltmarshes [Tidal wetland (non-forested, wetland)]
Range: Nova Scotia south along coast to Texas and Mexico. Also in California.
Aids to Identification: Glassworts are succulent, fleshy plants with opposite leaves and jointed stems that are found in saline environments. The leaves are very small and scale-like. The flowers are tiny and are sunken into the stem. Dwarf glasswort has ascending stems and pointed scales. The inflorescence is wider than the stem.
Ecological characteristics: Found growing in coastal saltmarshes.
Phenology: Flowering late summer and early fall.
Family: Amaranthaceae (formerly in Chenopodiaceae)
Synonyms: Formerly known as Salicornia mucronata Bigelow.
Known Distribution in Maine: This rare plant has been documented from a total of 6 towns in the following counties: Cumberland, York.
Dates of documented observations are: 1905, 1941, 1981, 2000 (3), 2001 (2)
Reason(s) for rarity: At northern edge of range; scarcity of habitat.
Conservation considerations: Hydrologic alteration of saltmarshes could pose threat to populations.
