''Sesuvium maritimum'' is an annual

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...

native to southeastern North America in the family

Aizoaceae The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1800 species. They are commonly known as ice plants or carpet weeds. They are often called vygies in South Africa and New ...

. This species is commonly known as the annual or slender sea purslane or Puerto Rico Sea-purslane. It can be found on sandy beaches,

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...

es, or other coastal regions.

Description

''Sesuvium maritimum'' is a succulent

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

that can grow up to 30 cm tall, with smooth, glabrous leaves and white or pink

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

s. Its leaves are covered with dozens of fleshy projections known as papillae. They are commonly found along the southeastern coast of North America from as far north as Rhode Island to southern regions of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Bahamas, and other surrounding islands. It has an opposite or sub-opposite leaf arrangement composed of simple, oblanceolate or linear fleshy leaves that are about 1-2.5 cm long and 1–5 mm wide. Furthermore, the leaves are known to be glabrous or rarely minutely papillose, the apex are rounded, acute, or obtuse with margins of the leaves being entire. Flowers are actinomorphic and normally composed of 4–5 fused petals that form a cup-like structure. Within the flower are 5

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s, usually with a pink coloration, and a partially inferior ovary.

Sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s are 2-3 mm long and attached near the top of the calyx tube.

Fruits

They form a pyxis (dry dehiscent capsules) around 4–5 mm in length that appear soon after flowering and persist until September. Upon maturity the capsules will spit open. The seeds produced are typically smooth and vary in color from black to brown, as well as, the amount produced can be between 30–50.

Distribution

This plant is commonly present within costal regions of eastern US (Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas). They reach far down as, southern regions of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Bahamas, and other surrounding islands. Furthermore, it was found to be present in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Taxonomy

The ''Sesuvium'' genus was named after the Gallic tribe

Sesuvii The Esuvii (or Esubii; Gaulish: ''Esuuii'') were a Gallic tribe dwelling between the lower Seine and the Loire rivers, in what is now Normandy, during the Iron Age. Name Their tribal name appears to be related to the theonym ''Esus''., s.v. ''E ...

, who resided in the Atlantic maritime region of France from around 58–50 BC.

Conservation status

The slender sea purslane is currently endangered in New York state, Maryland, North Carolina, Kansas, and Southern Florida. It is also considered vulnerable in the state of Virginia. Globally, ''Sesuvium maritimum'' has a conservation status of G5 (globally secure).

Uses

In the past, sea purslane were once used as medicine to treat scurvy and venomous wounds. In addition, it's one of several plants that aid in the prevention of coastal erosion.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4413064 maritimum