Saltwort is a
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...
for various genera of flowering plants that thrive in salty environments, typically in coastal salt marshes and seashores, including:
:*''
Salsola'' and related genera within subfamily ''
Salsoloideae''
:*''
Salicornia
''Salicornia'' is a genus of succulent, halophytic (salt tolerant) flowering plants in the family Amaranthaceae that grow in salt marshes, on beaches, and among mangroves. ''Salicornia'' species are native to North America, Europe, central Asia, ...
''
:*''
Tecticornia''
:*''
Sarcocornia''
:*''
Suaeda''
:*''
Halogeton''
:* and others: the above genera are in the family ''
Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae ( ) is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus '' Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, maki ...
'', which contains certain other saltwort genera not mentioned above, but not all ''Amaranthaceae'' are saltworts.
:*''
Batis'', in the family ''Bataceae''
The ashes of these plants yield
soda ash
Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash, sal soda, and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield alkaline solutions in water ...
, which is an important ingredient for
glassmaking
Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass.
Glass container ...
and
soapmaking.
See also
glasswort – glassworts are saltworts, and saltworts can be glassworts
See also
Saltbush Saltbush is a vernacular plant name that most often refers to ''Atriplex'', a genus of about 250 plants distributed worldwide from subtropical to subarctic regions. ''Atriplex'' species are native to Australia, North and South America, and Eurasia. ...
aka ''Atriplex'', a genus thriving in salty environments
{{plant common name