SEASIDE WEEDS, 157 



westerly breeze, I have picked from between 

 the sand a little creeping weed, root and all, 

 with thick, fleshy, cylindrical leaves, and a 

 stout thorn at the end of each. It is a 

 common seaside plant — saltwort or kali ; and, 

 like sand-loving plants generally, it has very 

 succulent and juicy foliage. The reason for 

 this fleshy habit under such circumstances 

 seems clear enough. Marshy plants, or 

 plants which live in ordinary moist soils, can 

 get plenty of water whenever they want it, 

 and so they need not store away any against 

 emergencies in case of droughts. Even dry 

 hillside shrubs, like the rosemaries and heaths, 

 can thrust their roots deep into the earth, and 

 so manage always to get a little supply of 

 moisture, sufficient to keep their hard crisp 

 foliage alive, and their sap slowly circulating, 

 even in the driest summer weather. But 

 weeds which live on sand must economise 

 water whenever they can get it. The rain 

 that falls upon the spots where they grow, 

 sinks rapidly through the surface, and in a few 



