Crithmum maritimum Rock Samphire

A yellow-flowered umbellifer with a somewhat bushy growth habit and fleshy leaves cut into narrow segements. When crushed, the leaves have a distinctive aromatic, oily, kerosene-like smell which Clive Stace describes as being like furniture-polish. It is a salt tolerant species with an entirely coastal distribution on sea cliffs, walls, revetments and shingle which are subject to sea-spray. It is less common in salt marshes. It is found all along the coast of West Glamorgan. Rock Samphire, also known as Sea Fennel, is considered to be a good edible species by some but is, apparently, an aquired taste. It contains large amounts of terpinoid essential oils, such as the cyclic monoterpene, limonene, which contribute to its taste and smell.

Native