Ecomare

You don't generally expect to find plants growing where salt spray and blown sand dominate. However, sea sandwort strives best on beach plains or in the cracks of basalt rocks on the dike, where conditions are tough. It is a fleshy plant that takes root in older flood marks, located further away from the surf. Sea sandwort is important for breaking down plant material, making the nutrients available for other plants. Once it germinates, it doesn't need freshwater to grow. The thick leathery, succulent leaves protect the plant from dehydration. Even when conditions are no longer ideal does this plant readily disappear, returning year after year.