Halopeplis perfoliata (Forssk.) Bunge ex Ung.-Sternb.
Salicornia perfoliata Forssk., Halostachys perfoliata (Forssk.) Moq.
Ara.: Al kheriza, inab al bahr, khureiza.
Subshrub, groundcovering, very ramose, with erect or ascending branches, 20-50 cm sometimes reaching 1 m in height. Older stems woody and leafless, articulated, with oblique divisions, wider at the top. Young stems with leaves. Leaves succulent, fleshy, almost globose, glabrous, short and perfoliate, 3-6(8) × 3-8 mm, apex rounded, alternate, green or reddish in colour, with the characteristic shape of swollen nodules arranged obliquely along the stem. Spiciform inflorescences, short and compact, 10-15 mm long, terminal. Flowers red, hermaphrodite or female, in groups of 3, with small tetramerous perianth fused almost completely, obconic. Stamens 1-2, and pistil with 2 feathery styles and a single ovary arranged vertically. Fruit in utricle inside the perianth, with membranous pericarp and ellipsoidal seeds.
Flowering:
June to August.
Fruiting:
No data for this region
Habitat:
Coastal sandy areas and salt marshes.
Distribution:
Coastal and subcoastal areas of Egypt and Sudan, reaching Pakistan to the E.
Conservation status:
It is a rare species but in principle it is not considered threatened. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.