Triglochin maritima

Seaside arrowgrass

JuncaginaceaeLeavesRootsSeeds/NutsPotential hazards — see below

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(c) Tom Norton, some rights reserved (CC BY)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Tubers, Root, Seeds, Caution, Leaves

The white base of the leaf stem can be eaten raw or cooked and is best harvested in late spring. It has a pleasant, mild, sweet taste somewhat like cucumber. An unpleasant odour develops during cooking. The green parts of the plant should not be eaten as they can contain a toxin; only the bases of leaf stems should be used, not the bases of flowering stems. The seed can be parched and ground into a powder, and the roasted seed serves as a coffee substitute.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It grows in marshes below 5,200 m above sea level in China. It can grow in brackish or salty wet soils. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Afghanistan, Alaska, Asia, Balkans, Bhutan, Bosnia, Canada, Central Asia, Europe, Himalayas, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, North America, Northeastern India, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Scandinavia, Sikkim, Sweden, Tajikistan, Tibet, USA,

Countries: Andorra, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Barbados, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Brunei, Bahamas, Bhutan, Belarus, Belize, Canada, Switzerland, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Grenada, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Croatia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, St Kitts & Nevis, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, St Lucia, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Malta, Maldives, Mexico, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, Oman, Panama, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, San Marino, El Salvador, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, Taiwan, Ukraine, United States, Uzbekistan, St Vincent, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. There are small tubers underground. It has a stout underground stem or rhizome. The leaves are narrow and thick. There are about 7 leaves that are 30 cm long by 1-4 mm wide. The flowers are greenish. They are 2-3 mm across. The fruit are 3-4 mm across.

How to Grow

Succeeds in shallow water or a bog garden. Possibly requires saline conditions.

Propagation: Sow seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe where possible, standing the pots in about 2cm of water. Prick seedlings out into individual pots when large enough to handle, and plant out during summer. Propagate by division in spring. Larger divisions can go directly into permanent positions; smaller divisions are best potted up and grown on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until establishing well, then planted out in summer or the following spring.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Other Uses

The plant's ashes are rich in potassium and can be used in soap making.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Triglochin maritima is a species of flowering plant in the arrowgrass family Juncaginaceae. It is found in brackish marshes, freshwater marshes, wet sandy beaches, fens, damp grassland and bogs. It has a circumboreal distribution, occurring throughout the northern Northern Hemisphere. In the British Isles it is common on the coast, but very rare inland.

Other Information

The leaves are foraged and eaten in restaurants in Sweden.

Notes

There are about 15 Triglochin species. They grow in marshes in temperate regions.

Names & Synonyms

Chaklamsar, Fjaeresaulok, Gaike, Girge, Morska brulja, Puga

Triglochin ani KochTriglochin roegneri C. KochTriglochin transcaucasica Bordzil.and others

References (13)

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Sp. pl. 1:339. 1753 "maritimum"
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Urgamal, M., et al, 2014, Conspectus of the Vascular Plants of Mongolia. Mongolia Academy of Sciences Institute of Botany and National University of Mongolia Department of Biology. p 39