Crithmum maritimum
| Crithmum maritimum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Crithmum maritimum (common name: rock samphire)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn[1]. Sow in a cold frame and only just cover the seed[2]. Germination usually takes place within 3 - 6 weeks at 15°c[2]. One report says that the seed only has a short viability and should be sown as soon as it is ripe[3], but it has germinated well with us when sown in April in a cold frame[K]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer.
Division in spring[3].
Cultivation: Prefers a moist light sandy or gravelly soil, doing very well between stones or by a south-east facing wall[4]. Requires a warm dry well-drained sunny position and shade from the midday sun[1][5]. Requires saline conditions[5]. Plants are best grown in moist salty soil or a very well-drained poor dry soil.
When grown away from the coast, this plant requires a warm sheltered position and some protection in cold winters[3].
At one time this plant was sometimes cultivated in the vegetable garden[6], though it is quite difficult to do this successfully[1][4]. It is difficult to grow outside its natural habitat[2].
Range: Coastal regions of Europe, including Britain, to the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Habitat: On cliffs and rocks, or more rarely on shingle or sand, by the sea[7].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[6][8][9][10][11][12][4]. Vaguely reminiscent of fennel, but the taste is more bitter and brackish[13]. A powerful salty flavour, it has been described by one person as tasting like 'a mixture of celery and kerosene'[3]. The leaves are used as a flavouring in salads etc[13]. Gathered in spring, the young leaves when sprinkled with salt and boiled make a very good pickle[8]. The leaves are rich in vitamin C[3].
Seed pods[8][9][10][11]. They are used to make a warm aromatic pickle[6].
Medicinal: Rock samphire is little used in herbal medicine, though it is a good diuretic and holds out potential as a treatment for obesity[14]. It has a high vitamin C and mineral content and is thought to relieve flatulence and to act as a digestive remedy[14].
The young growing tips are carminative, depurative, digestive and diuretic[10][3]. They are gathered when in active growth in the spring and used fresh[10][3]. The leaves have the reputation for helping people lose weight and so are used in treating cases of obesity as well kidney complaints and sluggishness[3].
The essential oil is a digestive, a few drops being sprinkled on the food[10].
Usage: An essential oil from the plant is used in perfumery[10].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Cachrys maritima.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Thompson, Robert. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son, 1878.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Loewenfeld, Claire and Philippa Back. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles.
- ↑ Vilmorin-Andrieux. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Corbetta, Francisco. The COmplete Book of Fruits and Vegetables. 1985.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.