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Crithmum maritimum

Common name:	Rock Samphire	Family:	Umbelliferae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:	Cachrys maritima
Known Hazards:	None known
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[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Fennel,Sea [E], Fenouil Marin [E], Finochio Marino [E], Hinojo Marino [E], Meerfenchel [E], Rock Samphire [H], Samphire [H], Sanpetra [E], Sea Fennel [E], Zeevenkel [D,E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	maritimum = on the sea-coast
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Apiales. Renamed to Apiaceae -- Carrot family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Europe France Germany Italy Netherlands Spain Us

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.25m by 0.25m . It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Leaves Seedpod.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 4, 5, 7, 12, 27, 37]. Vaguely reminiscent of fennel, but the taste is more bitter and brackish[132]. A powerful salty flavour, it has been described by one person as tasting like 'a mixture of celery and kerosene'[238]. The leaves are used as a flavouring in salads etc[132]. Gathered in spring, the young leaves when sprinkled with salt and boiled make a very good pickle[4]. The leaves are rich in vitamin C[238].
Seed pods[4, 5, 7, 12]. They are used to make a warm aromatic pickle[2].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Carminative Depurative Digestive Diuretic.

Rock samphire is little used in herbal medicine, though it is a good diuretic and holds out potential as a treatment for obesity[254]. It has a high vitamin C and mineral content and is thought to relieve flatulence and to act as a digestive remedy[254].
The young growing tips are carminative, depurative, digestive and diuretic[7, 238]. They are gathered when in active growth in the spring and used fresh[7, 238]. 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[238].
The essential oil is a digestive, a few drops being sprinkled on the food[7].

Other Uses

Essential.

An essential oil from the plant is used in perfumery[7].

Cultivation details

Prefers a moist light sandy or gravelly soil, doing very well between stones or by a south-east facing wall[37]. Requires a warm dry well-drained sunny position and shade from the midday sun[1, 200]. Requires saline conditions[200]. 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[238].
At one time this plant was sometimes cultivated in the vegetable garden[2], though it is quite difficult to do this successfully[1, 37]. It is difficult to grow outside its natural habitat[164].

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[164]. Germination usually takes place within 3 - 6 weeks at 15° c[164]. One report says that the seed only has a short viability and should be sown as soon as it is ripe[238], 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[238].

Scent

: No details on scent.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[12] Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2
A handy pocket guide.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[132] Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. Fruits of the Earth.
Lovely pictures, a very readable book.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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