Salicornia L.

Annual herbs, sometimes becoming thinly woody below, glabrous, seemingly leafless, built up of numerous superposed, more or less tubular-segments which are green to reddish and succulent, and ultimately shrivel, each segment at apex forming a little cup, usually with two short teeth, embracing the base of the next higher segment. Fertile segments aggregated into spikes at ends of stem and lateral branches, the latter often very short. Spikes not disarticulating, persistent or breaking up irregularly. Flower minute, usually in clusters of three, more or less connate, a pair of clusters to each fertile segment, the clusters on opposite sides and immersed. Perianth minutely 3–4 denticulate, opening in the middle of a truncate flattened lateral shield. Seeds with thin membranous testa, minutely hairy, cotyledons point downwards.

Worldwide: Species 30-40.

Mozambique: 2 taxa.