Glasswort

This little annual plant growing on the local salt-marshes and mudflats is Glasswort Salicornia europaea.

Wort is a very old name and has been in use since at least the 9th century. Chaucer uses it in his 14th century Canterbury Tales, in the Clerk's Tale: Whan she homward cam she wolde brynge Wortes or othere herbes tymes ofte.

Wort as part of a plant's name often indicates that it was once used in herbalism or for other practical uses. This is certainly the case for glasswort as in the past its ashes were used for making soda-based glass.

Salicornia europaea is edible, either cooked or raw. In Britain when used for eating it is known as samphire, a corruption of the French name, herbe de Saint-Pierre, which means "St. Peter's herb". It has become a fashionable dish of late and is often served in restaurants and even features on supermarket shelves. Our samphire beds are a bit close to the sewage outlet and so I don't think that they will be appearing on our dining table!