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Honckenya peploides - (L.)Ehrh.

Sea Sandwort

Author	(L.)Ehrh.	Botanical references	17
Family	Caryophyllaceae	Genus	Honckenya
Synonyms	Arenaria peploides - L.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Coasts of temperate and arctic regions of Eurasia, including Britain, and N. America.
Habitat	By sea coasts on mobile sand and sandy shingle[17].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.2m by 1m at a medium rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Seed.

Young shoots - raw or cooked and used as a potherb[2, 61, 183]. A sour taste[257]. A delicious flavour, they are rich in vitamins A and C[172, 257]. They are at their best before the plant flowers[172]. The leaves can also be fermented and used like sauerkraut[115, 257]. In Iceland the plant is steeped in sour whey and allowed to ferment. The resulting liquor is said to taste like olive oil and is used as a beverage[183]. Seed - used as a garnish or ground into a powder and added to flour[172]. Very fiddly to harvest[172].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a well-drained soil and an open sunny position. Plants are tolerant of short periods of immersion in salt water[17]. When well sited, the plant can spread quite freely at the roots[K]. Grows well in an outdoor bed at Kew[K].

Propagation

Seed - sow March in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer. Division in early spring. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 0
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest. 0
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Honckenya peploides

Miles Irving Wed Mar 29 2006

This plant is mentioned in relation to Arenaria rubra in Chevaliers Encyclopedia of medicinal plants, A. rubra has been used to treat kidney stones, acute and chronic cystisis and other conditions of the bladder, apparently. chevalier says it is diuretic and relaxes the muscle walls of urinary tubules and bladder.

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