Cakile maritima Sea Rocket

Cakile maritima, Sea Rocket, is a member of the cabbage family (Brassicaceae) and a ubiquatous component of the strandline flora of coastal dunes in Britain. It produces fairly thick fleshy leaves and attractive, 4-petalled pink or white insect-pollinated flowers. Plants are usually very fertile and produce large numbers of seed pods which can float in water. These detach from the parent at maturity, accumulate at the bases of the stems and are dispersed widely by the high tides that flood the strandline in autumn. It is one of the most widely distributed coastal plants in the world. Sea Rocket is found on strandlines all along the coastal parts of West Glamorgan but populations are subject to fluctuations in size from year to year. It is confined to coastal sand dunes and its dynamic habitat, which requires long-term sand accretion for survival, is susceptible to storm damage and erosion.