Sea rocket (Cakile maritima) is a plant found on sandy
beaches (sometimes shingle) at the line to which driftwood and seaweed are
thrown by the highest tides. This drift line can be unsightly, as this is where
all sorts of sea-borne rubbish also accumulates, so the presence of sea rocket,
with its lilac, pink, white or purple flowers, which appear from June to
August, can help to alleviate the otherwise depressing sight of this part of a
typical beach.
Sea rocket is bushy in habit, producing branching stems that
grow no higher than 12 inches (30 centimetres) and often spread along the
ground. The lobed leaves are shiny, fleshy and succulent, as they must conserve
all the fresh water they can get from the plant’s roots. However, sea rocket
can tolerate being completely buried in sand.
Sea rocket is an annual plant, so its continued existence
depends on its seeds being taken out to sea and thrown up on another stretch of
beach. The small seed pods, each containing one or two seeds, grow on short
thick stalks.
© John Welford
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