Cooke. — Observations on Salicornia australis. 



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Art. XXXVII.- — Observation* on Salicornia australis. 



By Miss F. W. Cooke, M.A. 



Communicated by Professor H. B. Kirk. 



[Read before, the Wellington Philosophical Society, 9th August, 1917.] 



Introduction. 



Salicornia australis is a small halophyte which grows abundantly in New 

 Zealand, Tasmania, and Australia, along the sea-shores, and especially 

 at the mouths of tidal rivers. 



The genus consists of about eight species, found on most temperate and 

 tropical shores, and occasionally in saline places inland (5). 



'' In central and northern Europe the first settler in littoral swamps 

 is Salicornia herbacea, a succulent herb, and by the Mediterranean shrubby 

 species of Salicornia (S. fruticosa, S. macrostackya, S. sarmentosa) occur 

 in such habitats " (4, c). 



I append notes under two headings — (1) Plant-habits ; (2) Structure. 



(1.) Plant-habits. 



From April to June underneath the plants of #. australis are seen a large 

 number of seedlings in which the plumule has made no appearance. Seed- 

 lings were only found where the plant was growing in the sand. (For the 

 development of seedlings, see fig. 1.) 



Fig. 1. — Seedlings of Salicornia grown in laboratory. (The numbers 2, 3, &c., denote 

 the age of the plant in weeks. The one numbered 9 has three cotyledons.) 



In autumn many plants in exposed positions die down and appear to be 

 dead, but sprout up again from the base in July and August. In other 

 plants the branches have a withered appearance, but from them fresh 

 blanches arise, so that the plant remains green. When the coast is rocky 

 S. australis is found nearer the sea than any other vegetation. The con- 

 ditions for life for these plants growing on rocks seem almost impossible, 

 for there appears tf> be neither soil nor water, except from the sea. Plants 



