Herb: Black Saltwort


Latin name: Glaux maritima


Family: Primulaceae (Primrose Family)



Medicinal use of Black Saltwort:

Some native North American Indians ate the boiled roots to induce sleep.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
30 cm
(11 3/4 inch)

Flowering:
June to
August

Habitat of the herb:

Grassy salt marshes, crevices of rocks, the foot of cliffs near the sea and saline districts inland.

Edible parts of Black Saltwort:

Young shoots - raw or pickled. Roots - cooked. (This report refers to the sub-species G. maritima obtusifolia.) The roots can be harvested at almost any time of the year. The North American Indians would boil them for a long time before eating them. Even so, eating the roots was considered to make one sleepy and eating too many of them could make one nauseous.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. If you have sufficient seed it should be worthwhile trying an outdoor sowing in situ in mid spring. Division in spring. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Cultivation of Black Saltwort:

Grassy salt marshes, crevices of rocks, the foot of cliffs near the sea and saline districts inland.

Known hazards of Glaux maritima:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.