Crithmum maritimum, Samphire, Sea fennel,
Peter's cress, קריתמון ימי
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| | Scientific name: |
| Crithmum maritimum L. |
| Common name: |
| Samphire, Sea fennel, Peter's cress |
| Hebrew name: |
| קריתמון ימי |
| Family: |
| Umbelliferae / Apiaceae, סוככים |
Date Picture Taken: October 1, 2008
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| | Life form: |
| Chamaephyte, semi-shrub |
| Leaves: |
| Alternate, dissected, pinnate, succulent |
| Flowers: |
| Yellow |
| Flowering Period: |
| May, June, July, August, September, October |
| Habitat: |
| Mediterranean strand |
| Distribution: |
| Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands |
| Chorotype: |
| Med - Euro-Siberian |
| Summer shedding: |
| Perenating |
Date Picture Taken: November 12, 2008
Derivation of the botanical name:
Crithmum, Greek, krithe, barley; refers to the ribbed, ovate seeds.
maritimum, pertaining to the sea.
Samphire, Rock samphire, St Peter's herb, is derived from the French sampiere, "Saint Pierre". Samphire - the word is a corruption of St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen because all the plants grow in rocky salt-sprayed regions along the sea coast.
- The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
Crithmum maritimum is a strongly aromatic, salty herb, contains a volatile oil, pectin, is rich in vitamin C and minerals, has diuretic effects, cleanses toxins and improves digestion.
Gerard, 1597: "The leaves kept in pickle and eaten in sallads with oile and vinegar is a pleasant sauce for meat, wholesome for the stoppings of the liver, milt and kidnies. It is the pleasantest sauce, most familiar and best agreeing with man's body.'"
Culpepper, 1640, deplores that it had in his days much gone out of fashion: "Out of fashion, this is deplorable, as it is a great digestive."
This is probably the species mentioned by Shakespeare in King Lear - "Half-way down, Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful trade!"
Date Picture Taken: November 12, 2008
Date Picture Taken: April 16, 2007
Date Picture Taken: November 12, 2008
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