Sea Blite, Suaede maritima, Herbaceous seepweed, Rich’s seepweed

Sea Blite scientifically known as Suaede maritima is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceous. The plant is native to Virginia north into eastern Canada but also two western counties in Florida, a county in the middle of Kentucky, one northern county in Washington, southern Alaska, and Manitoba. Herbaceous seepweed, rich’s seepweed, annual sea-Blite and Seaside Indian Saltwort are some of the popular common names of the plant. This plant resides in aquatic, terrestrial, and wetland habitats. But mainly in salt marshes and seashores, usually below the high watermark.

Sea Blite has a well-marked taste of salinity, and some notes of earth, being different from all other marine vegetables. It has brilliant performance in warm dishes (eggs, mushrooms), hot dishes (fish and seafood) and possibly pickles. It is gathered from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials. Sea Blite is rich in protein, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin E and chromium. It is a source of manganese and contains lutein, phenols, flavonoids and tannins.

Sea Blite Facts

Plant Description

Sea Blite is a robust, perennial, polymorphous, glabrous, much-branched, succulent annual herb that normally grows to 20-50 cm in height, reaching out to 2 m in diameter as an upright or spreading shrub. The plant is found growing on seashores, in saltmarsh, mud, sand, sometimes below tideline. It makes an attractive edible feature bush in a succulent garden, rockery or side garden bed. It is found on moist, saline, clayey soils near the sea. Stem is prostrate, decumbent, or erect, usually light brown, simple or branched, sometimes slightly woody at base; main branches arising from proximal part of plant.

Leaves

Leaves are fleshy, semi-cylindrical, and simple and arranged alternatively, with one leaf per node along the stem. Leaves blades are linear, usually sub-terete, sometimes flat, 10–50 mm long and 0.8–1.7 mm wide, apex blunt to acute?. Leaves also absorb large amounts of salt and will turn red when oversaturated.

Flowers

The flower can be either radially symmetrical or bilaterally symmetrical. Flowers are tiny, 1-2 mm in diameter. Flowers occurs 1-3 together in axils of upper leaves, each with 5 green triangular sepals, no petals, and 5 pale yellow stamens. Flowering normally takes place in between July to October.

Seeds

Seeds are monomorphic, lenticular, 1–2.2 mm diameter. Seed-coat is reddish-brown or black and reticulate.

The life cycle of Suaeda maritima is known to be mainly annually. The plant will perform its entire life cycle from seed to flower then back to a seed within a single growing season. All roots, stems and leaves of the Suaeda maritima plant will die and the only thing that can bridge the gap between each generation is a dormant seed.

Culinary Uses

• Young leaves can be consumed raw or cooked.
• It has a pleasant salty flavor; they make a nice addition in small quantities to a salad.
• They are often mixed with other vegetables in order to reduce their saltiness.
• The young shoots are pickled in vinegar and eaten on their own or used as a relish.
• Seed can be consumed raw or cooked.
• Local people in Samut Songkram province use sea blite for different types of cooking such as traditional sea blite salad, sea blite curry with crabs, or scalded sea blite with chili paste.
• In the South of India, sea blite is pickled in vinegar or used for cooking as well as domestic animal food.

References