Crithmum is a monospecific genus of flowering plant in the carrot family, Apiaceae (order Apiales), containing a single species, Crithmum maritimum — commonly known as rock samphire, sea fennel, or samphire. The genus was described by Linnaeus in 1753.
It is a perennial plant growing to about 50 centimetres (20 inches) in both height and width. The stems are woody at the base and fleshy elsewhere, and are hairless. The leaves are fleshy lobes, and the greenish-yellow flowers are borne in umbels typical of the carrot family. The fruits, or seed pods, are yellow or purple and up to 5–6 millimetres long.
Crithmum maritimum grows on coastlines throughout much of Europe (north to the British Isles), Macaronesia, and parts of West Asia and North Africa, along the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Black Sea coasts, favoring rocky and cliffside coastal habitats consistent with its common names.
The plant has a long history of culinary use: its fleshy, aromatic leaves were described by the herbalist Culpeper as having a "pleasant, hot and spicy taste," and it can be prepared much like marsh samphire, either cooked fresh, used in salads, or pickled. A pickle made from sea fennel in olive oil or vinegar remains a traditional food in parts of Italy, Croatia, Greece, and Montenegro. The plant is also referenced in English literary and cultural history, including Shakespeare's King Lear, which alludes to the danger of gathering it from sea cliffs. In the United Kingdom, where rock samphire is also grown as a garden plant in light, rich soil, uprooting it from the wild is protected by law under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Distribution
Crithmum maritimum is found on coastlines throughout much of Europe (north to the British Isles), Macaronesia, and parts of West Asia and North Africa, along the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Black Sea coasts.
Taxonomy Notes
Crithmum is a monospecific genus in the family Apiaceae (order Apiales), containing only Crithmum maritimum. It was first described by Linnaeus in 1753 (Species Plantarum 1: 246).
Ecology
The species grows on rocky and cliffside coastal habitats, reflected in its common names "rock samphire" and "sea fennel."
Cultivation
In Britain, rock samphire is cultivated in gardens, where it grows readily in a light, rich soil.
Conservation
In the United Kingdom, uprooting wild rock samphire plants is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Cultural Uses
Rock samphire's fleshy, aromatic leaves — described by the herbalist Culpeper as having a "pleasant, hot and spicy taste" — are prepared much like marsh samphire: washed and cooked, pickled with young seed pods in salted and spiced vinegar, used fresh in salads, or dried and ground as a salt substitute. A traditional pickle made from sea fennel in olive oil or vinegar (known in Italy's Marche region as "Paccasassi del Conero") is used as an antipasto and to accompany fish and meat dishes in Italy, Croatia (Dalmatia), Greece, and Montenegro (Bay of Kotor).
History
Shakespeare's King Lear (17th century) refers to the dangerous practice of gathering rock samphire from sea cliffs. In the 19th century, samphire was shipped in casks of seawater from the Isle of Wight to London markets each May, and was once cried in London streets as "Crest Marine." "Samphire Hoe," land reclaimed near Dover from Channel Tunnel spoil, is named after the plant, which was formerly harvested from the neighbouring cliffs.
