Common Name: Beachwort

General Information

Beachwort is a dioecious, evergreen, succulent shrub producing trailing or ascending stems up to 1 metre long[]. The stems, which have fleshy leaves and insignificant flowers, sometime loop back to the ground and form roots[].
The leaves are sometimes gathered from the wild for use in salads, whilst the plant is also used as a source of potash[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil, Peru, north through Central America to southern N. America, the Caribbean.

Habitat

Locally abundant and often forming large communities at the margins of salt marshes and estuarine flats[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of subtropical to tropical coastal areas[].
Tolerates seaside conditions, alkaline soil, salt, no drainage and seasonal flooding.
Plants usually flower and fruit all year round[].

Edible Uses

The succulent leaves have a salty flavour and are occasionally used in salads[]. They can also be cooked and used in pickles[]. The boiled leaves are strained to remove the fibres and then used as a salty puree[].

The roots are chewed and sucked for their sweet juice[]. The juice can be made into a beverage or used as a sweetener in drinks such as coffee[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant scrambles over sandy soils, often rooting as it goes. This makes it suitable for use in soil stabilization projects on dunes and sandy soils near the sea[].

Other Uses

The plant ashes are rich in potash and can be used for making soap and glass[].

Propagation

Seed -

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: subtract 1 from 12