CAKILE MARITIMA subsp. MARITIMA

Family and Genus:- See- CRUCIFERAE

Common Name:- Sea rocket, European Sea rocket

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Cakile From an Arabic name.

Maritima (L) Growing by the sea.

General description:- Glabrous annual or biennial, slightly succulent, moderately

branched.

Stems:-

1) 15-60 cm, usually decumbent.

Leaves:-

1) Lower, pinnate to pinnatifid.

2) Upper smaller and subentire.

Flowers:-

1) Racemes, ebracteate, much elongating in fruit.

2) Petals, 5-12 mm, pale lilac-purple or mauve.

3) Fruiting pedicels, 2-5 mm, erecto-patent, thickened.

Fruit:-

1) Mature fruit 8-25 x 3-7 mm, transversely septate into 2 unequal, 1-seeded

segments, spongy, indehiscent, the upper with a flattened beak and often 2

lateral homs near apex.

Key features:-

1) Leaves subentire to pinnatisect, the primary divisions rarely more than 6 times as

long as wide.

2) Lower segment of silicula flat at the apex (when viewed in the plane of the

projections); projections less than 0·5 mm, sometimes obscure.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Sandy seashores and shingle beaches, rarely in ruderal habitats some

distance inland. 0-100 m.

Distribution:- Common around the Mediterranean coastal areas. Widespread and

common on Crete.

Flowering time:- Mar-Sept, occasionally later.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton

Native to:
Albania, Algeria, Baleares, Belgium, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Corse, Cyprus, Denmark, East Aegean Is., Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Madeira, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Portugal, Sardegna, Selvagens, Sicilia, Sinai, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey-in-Europe, Western Sahara, Yugoslavia

Introduced into:
Argentina Northeast, British Columbia, California, Kermadec Is., Maryland, Mexico Northwest, New Caledonia, New South Wales, New York, New Zealand North, Northwest European R, Oregon, South Australia, Tasmania, Uruguay, Victoria, Washington, Western Australia