Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Share

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Glaux maritima

Glaux maritima L.

Sea Milkwort, Sea-milkwort

Primulaceae (Primrose Family)

Synonym(s): Glaux maritima ssp. obtusifolia, Glaux maritima var. angustifolia, Glaux maritima var. macrophylla, Glaux maritima var. obtusifolia

USDA Symbol: GLMA

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N), CAN (N), SPM (N)

A low, fleshy, saltmarsh plant with opposite, oval leaves and tiny, white, pink, lavender, or crimson flowers rising from leaf axils.

This low, often spreading plant is associated with salt marshes. Although its stalkless flowers are not very showy, its habit and opposite, succulent leaves help identify the species. It is much more widely distributed in western North America, from Alaska to northern Canada and south to California and Colorado.

 

From the Image Gallery

No images of this plant

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Stems prostrate, decumbent, or ascending to erect, up to about 16 inches long.
Leaf: Green.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Pink
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug

Distribution

USA: AK , CA , CO , ID , MA , MD , ME , MN , MT , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NV , NY , OR , RI , UT , VA , WA , WY
Canada: AB , BC , MB , NB , NL , NS , NT , NU , ON , PE , QC , SK
Native Distribution: Alberta east to Newfoundland and south to Massachusetts; also in Virginia, Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota, and throughout the West.
Native Habitat: Seashores and borders of salt marshes.

Growing Conditions

Water Use: High
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Moist , Wet
CaCO3 Tolerance: High

Benefit

Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Web Reference

Webref 62 - Burke Herbarium Image Collection (2020) University of Washington
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Glaux maritima in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Glaux maritima in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Glaux maritima

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-05-03
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back