Cakile maritima Scop.   Brassicaceae (Mustard Family)   Europe   Sea Rocket

                                   April Photo                        

  Plant Characteristics:  Fleshy branched glabrous annual, branching from base, procumbent or decumbent; leaves 4-8 cm. long, deeply pinnatifid into oblong lobes with rounded apices; pedicels stout, about 2 mm. long; sepals 3 mm. long; petals pink to purplish, 8-10 mm. long; silicles about 15 mm. long, the upper joint flattened, about twice as long as lower which has two divergent triangular protuberances at apex, seeds 4-5 mm. long.

Habitat:  Sandy places along the coast of California, to B.C., Channel Ids; eastern North America, Mexico.  June-Nov.

Name:  Cakile, is the old Arabic name of the plant.  Maritima means of the sea.  (Dale 81).

General:  Moderately common throughout the study area.  Photographed on the Castaway's Bluffs, at Big Canyon and at 23rd Street.  (my comments).      Fishermen are often familiar with this plant which is used raw in salads or boiled like spinach.  The peppery horse-radish taste is best toned down with other greens or ingredients.  Buds immature pods stems and leaves are used.  (Clarke 172).     Sea Rocket thrives, forever extending its range, as a result of its unique seed dispersal system.  The upper part of the fruit has a single seed sealed inside a corky outer covering which breaks off when ripe.  This capsule is impervious to saltwater and floats off on the current to new locations.  The lower half of the fruit also contains a seed which remains attached to the parent plant and produces a new Sea Rocket on its already proven favorable home ground.  (Dale 81).     C. maritima  is not listed as a southern Calif. plant in Munz, Calif. Flora, however it is listed in Munz, Flora So. Calif., which was published later.  Did the plant move south between publications or was it missed the first time?  (my comment).     About 4 species of sea and lake shores of North America and Africa.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 278).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 406; Munz, Flora So. Calif 278; Roberts 15.

Photo Ref:  April-May 84 # 9.

Identity: by John Johnson.  

First Found:  May 1984.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 6.  

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 5/6/05.  

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