Alternate name: Chickenclaws
Family: Chenopodiaceae, Goosefoot view all from this family
Description This succulent wetland plant, which has no apparent leaves, turns deep red in the fall.
Habit: native perennial subshrub or herb; succulent; stems erect to creeping, oppositely branched, with prominent joints; fleshy when young, becoming woody.
Height: 4-20 in (10-50 cm)
Leaf: tiny scales.
Flower: inconspicuous, pale green, without petals.
Flower June to November.
Habitat Coastal salt marshes, tidal flats, upper intertidal zones.
Range Native to the West Coast, from Washington to California.
Discussion Also known as pacific swampfire, pacific glasswort, pickleweed, perennial pickleweed. The taxonomy of this plant is confused. Different authors have identified it as Sarcocornia perennis, Salicornia virginica, or Salicornia ambigua.
S. pacifica is a host plant of the salt marsh dodder, Cuscata salina.