4.
Mixed up with the Lavender and Thrift
were two plants which are superficially
similar but are not closely related. These
are the Sea Arrow Grass (Triglochin maritima)
and the Sea Plantain (Plantago maritima).
The leaves of the Sea Arrow Grass grow in
flattened groups look like Iris leaves but
in fact each leaf is half cylindrical. The
Sea Plantain leaves are rather flatter, but
the best distinguishing feature is that they
tend to arise in a rosette entirely different
from the flattened origins of the Sea Arrow
Grass.
An occasional pink flower showed the
presence of the Sea Spurney. The two species
likely to be found in salt marshes can be
distinguished by their seeds. The one we
found was Spergularia media which we recog-
nised by the circular wing around all the
seeds. The other one which can be found is
Spergularia marina which only has a few of
its seeds winged.
Early in the year the only flower that
is in bloom on a salt marsh is the Scurvy
Grass. This plant was once used by sailors
to protect them from the disease caused by
lack of vitamin C. In fact three species
of Scurvy Grass are to be
found on the Essex
Marshes. The commonest
one, which we found, is
the Long Leaved Scurvy
Grass (Cochlearia anglica)
Its lower leaves are
described as cuneate at
the base, which means
that they look like the
base of a traditional
kite. We did not find