DACF Home → Bureaus & Programs → Maine Natural Areas Program → Communities, Plants, and Animals → Rare Plants → Salicornia bigelovii
Salicornia bigelovii Torr.
- State Rank: S1
- Global Rank: G5
- State Status: Threatened
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.
Synonyms: Salicornia mucronata Bigelow.
Known Distribution in Maine: This rare plant has been documented from a total of 9 towns in the following counties: Cumberland, Sagadahoc, York.
Reason(s) for rarity: At northern edge of range; scarcity of habitat.
Conservation considerations: Hydrologic alteration of saltmarshes could pose threat to populations.