Sea sandwort (Honkenya peploides) is found
all round the coast of Great Britain, especially on sandy beaches above the
high water mark, where it helps in the creation of sand dunes.
It has fleshy bright green leaves and
creeping stems. It grows to a maximum height of ten inches but may only be two
inches high when fully grown. It has both flowering and non-flowering stems,
with the small white flowers appearing between May and September. Male and
female flowers do not grow on the same plant.
Sea sandwort has a strong root system that
helps it stay in place when the wind blows. It acts as a windbreak in that the
sand builds up on the windward side, which could be the beginning of a dune.
Should the plant be buried in sand, it will send up new shoots to reach the
light with the old shoots dying back.
© John Welford
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