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Summary

Parish’s glasswort is a perennial halophyte of California and Baja saltmarshes. It plays an important ecological role in stabilizing coastal sediments and providing habitat for wildlife. While edible, with young stems and seeds occasionally used as food, its heavy salt load limits it as a dietary resource. Traditionally valued for its salty ashes in glass- and soap-making, it remains more important ecologically than as a human food plant. Parish’s glasswort is edible mainly for its young stems, which are salty, juicy, and sometimes bitter, making them suitable for pickling, sautéing, or use as a salty garnish. Its seeds are edible but too small and tedious to collect in large amounts. Overall, it is a minor wild vegetable, best used sparingly due to its high salt content.

Physical Characteristics

Arthrocnemum subterminale is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in).
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. It is in flower from June to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs).
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves Seed
Edible Uses:

Young stems of Parish’s glasswort are edible fresh or cooked, though they contain very high levels of salt and should be eaten only in moderation. Flavor is crisp, juicy, and saline—somewhat like sea asparagus or samphire—though often with a slight bitterness. Cooking or parboiling helps reduce the harshness and salt content. The seeds are also edible and were historically used as food by coastal Native Americans, though their small size makes them labor-intensive to harvest and process. Seeds can be dried and ground into a coarse flour, or boiled into a porridge, but availability is highly seasonal. As with related glassworts, fruits and seeds are tiny, enclosed in papery utricles, and difficult to separate from chaff. Overconsumption of either seeds or stems can contribute to excessive salt intake [2-3]. Edibility Rating: 3/5 – useful as a wild vegetable or emergency grain, but not a staple. Leaves - raw or cooked[172]. Seed - ground into a meal[257].

References More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Stems and ashes also had minor medicinal and preservative applications.

References More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Traditionally, dried glasswort stems were burned for their ash, which is rich in soda and potash, and used in soap- and glass-making (“glasswort” comes from this use). Dense mats of Parish’s glasswort help trap sediments and stabilize coastal saltmarshes, improving habitat for birds and invertebrates.

Special Uses

References More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Habitat & Distribution: Parish’s glasswort is a halophyte (salt-loving plant) native to coastal southern California and northern Baja California, Mexico. It grows in salt marshes, estuaries, tidal flats, and other saline habitats where few plants can survive. Growth & Ecology: This species is a perennial subshrub, spreading into mats. Like other saltworts, it tolerates extreme salinity and periodic inundation. In coastal ecosystems, it plays a key role in soil stabilization, salt cycling, and wildlife habitat. Cultivation: Rarely cultivated, but potentially useful for saline soil rehabilitation. It prefers saline or brackish soils in full sun and tolerates periodic flooding. Best growth occurs in coastal wetlands. Typically 20–80 cm tall, forming low shrubby clumps. Likely hardy in USDA zones 8–11, restricted to mild coastal climates. Not frost-tolerant. We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it is unlikely succeed outdoors in any but the mildest parts of the country. The plants native habitat will give some idea of its cultivation needs.

References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

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Plant Propagation

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe if this is possible, otherwise in spring, in a greenhouse in a light sandy compost. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division might be possible in the spring.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Arthrocnemum subterminale (Parish) Standl. (= Salicornia subterminalis Parish) Common name: Parish’s glasswort

Native Range

California, Mexico Northwest

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it's worth checking.

Low – highly specialized for saline environments and unlikely to spread beyond them.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants

Latin Name	Common Name	Habit	Height	Hardiness	Growth	Soil	Shade	Moisture	Edible	Medicinal	Other
Arthrocnemum fruticosum	Glasswort	Perennial	0.6	-		LM	SN	M	1	0	1

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

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Arthrocnemum subterminale - Parish.