Sarcocornia tegetaria red flowering stems

The erect stems of Sarcocornia tegetaria, numerous succulent branches, are made up of cylindrical, barrel-shaped segments called articles, ending in cup-shaped stem-tips. The stems root at nodes, allowing vegetative expansion of the plants, growing the plant carpets. The much-branched stems may be green or yellow green, also red, orange or pink, depending upon how their micro-environment treats them.

Among the normal skin cells of the stems there are embedded sclereids, harder cell structures, lignified or thick‑walled, adding rigidity and strength around the softer, water‑filled cells. These harder, “stone cells” make the plants resilient in tidal waters, and less attractive to herbivores. Tidal flow on the estuary floors is affected by the plants that reduce the drag, stabilising the sediment. The plant tolerates salt water mud containing low oxygen (Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; iNaturalist; https://enews.saeon.ac.za).