4 Chenopodiaceae treatment for FNA volume four. Leaves opposite, united at the base and decurrent forming the fleshy segments of the stem, the blades reduced to small entire fleshy scales with a narrow scarious margin, glabrous.
Seeds ellipsoid, with thin membranous testa and without endosperm.
Occasionally utilized as a vegetable in Europe, especially the tetraploid species. The seeds are rich in oils and experimental trials have been undertaken in the southwestern U. S. to harvest tetraploid species on a large scale as a commercial source of vegetable oils. Because of the succulence of the plants and the highly reduced morphology, the taxonomy of the genus is extremely unsatisfactory. Dried specimens often cannot be determined with certainty, and are of little use in taxonomic studies owing to the loss of characters on drying. Salicornia is also difficult to cultivate satisfactorily as the plants appear to require a limited amount of salt and, the tetraploids in particular, occasional submersion in water, although they do not grow well in permanently waterlogged soils.