Beaded Samphire

Beaded glasswort, Salicornia quinqueflora, is a species of succulent, salt tolerant plant. It grows as a small shrub, with a lifecycle of several years – which is also known as a perennial lifecycle. They are normally found near salt water bodies (along the coast or estuaries) and grow in a mat form along the ground. The stems are jointed and fleshy when young, but they dry out and appear woody when ageing. The young, fleshy stems are grey or green with sometimes red colouring along the tips. The leaves grow opposite to each other and are connected at the base. They grow on small bumpy petioles – which is the part of a stalk that attaches the leaf to the stem. The leaves then extend down the stem – which in turn, forms the noticeable joints. The leaves look like tiny blades, wrapped around the stem. This formation of the leaves gives the stems a ‘beaded’ look. Growing at the end of the stem, the inflorescences (another name for clusters of flowers) are spikey, and made up of small segments with large cymes. Cymes are a group of flowers with a central stem that matures before the others. Each cyme usually has three flowers entirely immersed in the fleshy part of the joint. The unisex or bisexual flowers are nearly always identical in size and grow in an outwardly symmetrical style along the stems. …

Salicornia quinqueflora is not endemic to New Zealand. In New Zealand it is found mostly on the shoreline in regions throughout the North Island. In the South Island S. quinqueflora is widespread on the east coast, but isn't found on the west coast. In Australia it occurs on the south west and south east areas, and also in parts of the Nullarbor Plain, and part of the east coast of Cape York Peninsula.

One species known to rely heavily on the glasswort is the orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster). This parrot is critically endangered, having only around 180 individuals left in the wild. This native Australian bird feeds primarily on the seeds of Salicornia quinqueflora. As habitats for the glasswort decline due to human development, it becomes harder for the parrot to find the amount of seeds it needs to survive.