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Salicornia virginica

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Salicornia virginica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Salicornia
Species:
S. virginica
Binomial name
Salicornia virginica

Salicornia virginica (American glasswort, pickleweed) is a halophytic perennial dicot which grows in various zones of intertidal salt marshes and can be found in alkaline flats. It is native to various regions of the Northern Hemisphere including both coasts of North America from Canada to Mexico.

The plant is one of the Salicornia species being tested as biofuel crop as its seeds are composed of 32% oil, and being a halophyte, it can be irrigated with salt water.

Salicornia virginica is classified as a obligate wetland (OBL) species which means it "occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in wetlands".[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ Common plants of the mid-Atlantic coast: a field guide By Gene M. Silberhorn p. 117
  2. ^ Phytoremediation: transformation and control of contaminants By Steve C. McCutcheon, Jerald L. Schnoor p. 757