Lysimachia maritima in bloom
NOTE: This text is a replacement for the text originally published on July 28. We had misidentified the plant in the photo, as Empetrum nigrum, as you can see from the unedited comments. Sorry for the confusion.
Lysimachia maritima (synonym Glaux maritima) is an herbaceous perennial of the Primulaceae which is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. Low and spreading, it forms mats to 5 cm tall. The plant is somewhat succulent. Common names include, sea milkwort, sea milkweed, and black saltwort.
Flowers appear from late spring through the end of summer and have 5 pink sepals rather than petals. The common name saltwort indicates its tolerance for salty environments. The fleshy leaves hold fresh water to help it thrive in these conditions. Its low spreading form and succulent leaves are in fact also tolerant of wind, cold and dampness. Lysimachia maritima is even found in alkaline meadows in desert regions in Utah.
One of the things I was told about crowberries is their disjunct population in the Andes, probably from a migratory shorebird. There’s a red-berried species down there that likely arose from E. nigrum way after the continents split:
http://conservationbytes.com/2011/09/01/gone-with-the-birds/
Totally amazed by the lovely little flowers!
The subspecies we have in the Yukon (hermaphroditum) doesn’t have flowers like that at all – the flowers are not at all showy, it blooms VERY early, and the berries are ripening now (end of July). Also called ‘mossberries”, they are edible but not very flavourful – and I can confirm that even with added pectin they lack the acidity to make jelly without adding a bit of lemon juice – but the resulting un-jelled ‘syrup’ was good on pancakes!!
Totally different flower to the crowberry at Nuk Tessli, which has no petals. Virtually nothing but red sepals and reproductive parts.
Chris
Bears like them, too! (Black bears, anyway; I don’t know if grizzlies eat them, but I wouldn’t be surprised.)
This is not _Empetrum nigrum_.
Have to agree with others. This does not appear to be any of the Empetrum spp.
Adolf is correct, this is NOT Empetrum nigrum. This image is of Glaux maritima (recently renamed Lysimachia maritima), sea milkwort, a coastal saltmarsh species.
Dioecious means male and female in same plant. To my knowledge, it does not mean diploid.
Thanks for any info you can share on native plants.
My apologies, we have certainly misidentified this taxon. I am not the most familiar with our native plants and I trust the knowledge of Adolph Ceska, who is an authority on the subject and publisher of Botanical Electronic News. Thank you Rick Jones and Sue Meades for the correct ID.
Lysimachia maritima sounds like an interesting plant. Bear with us and we will prepare a new write-up for the photo which will post later today.
Well, if it WERE E. negrum, I just wanted to mention that it is used in Labrador when smoking fish, and imparts quite a lovely flavour. And if the ripe berries are squeezed in a particular fashion, they squirt a pleasing stream that can be well aimed with practice.