Batis

Taxobox
name = "Batis"


image_caption = Male flowers on "Batis maritima"
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Eudicots
unranked_ordo = Rosids
ordo = Brassicales
familia = Bataceae
genus = "Batis"
genus_authority = L.
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = "B. argillicola" "B. maritima"

"Batis" (Turtleweed, Saltwort, Beachwort, or Pickleweed) is a genus of two species of flowering plants, the only genus in the family Bataceae. They are halophytic (salt tolerant) plants, native to the coastal saltmarshes of warm temperate and tropical America ("B. maritima") and tropical Australasia ("B. argillicola").

Both species are evergreen low shrubs growing to 10-70 cm tall, prostrate where colonizing new mud, but once rooted, growing bushy. The leaves are small, swollen, fleshy and narrowly club-shaped. They are bright green, but can also take on a reddish color. The flowers are small, produced in nonshowy spikes, flowering from mid summer to fall. The American species is dioecious, while the Austalasian species is monoecious.

Some botanists divide "B. maritima" into five species, with "B. californica", "B. fruticosa", "B. spinosa" and "B. vermiculatus" split off, but this interpretation is not widely followed.

"Batis" has the ability to live in salty environments. When other plants are exposed to salty soil or water, they lose most of their stored water, but "Batis" has adapted to this environment and does not have these problems. To help it survive in this salty habitat, its fleshy leaves are covered with very fine hairs that reduce the amount of water the plant loses to the air.

Not many animals can eat it because it is too salty, but White-tailed Deer eat "B. maritima" as part of their diet. Eastern Pygmy-Blue butterflies collect the nectar from its flowers. "B. maritima" is becoming rare in some areas, and some scientists think it should be added to the United States endangered species list, though it has also become an invasive species in Hawaii after accidental introduction there.

The genus "Salsola" is also sometimes known as Saltwort, but is unrelated.

Uses

"B. maritima" was used by Native Americans as a food, the roots were chewed (like sugar cane) or boiled into a beverage while the stems and leaves were eaten raw, cooked or pickled. "B. argillicola" is also eaten as a green vegetable.

Saltwort has unexpectedly turned out to be a nutritious food source. An analysis of its peppercorn-sized seeds has revealed that they are extremely nutritious, having high quantities of proteins, oils and starches [http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-09/ns-sto092502.php] . According to Massimo Marco from an article published by New Scientist, the seeds are extremely edible, having a nutty taste, and they can be added to salads, toasted, or even made into miniature popcorn. The oil is almost identical to safflower oil, which is used for cooking and in salad dressings, as well as for making margarine. The seeds also contain beneficial antioxidants such as tocopherols, which are thought to fight cancer.

References

* [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BAMA5 "Batis maritima" USDA plant profile]
* [http://florabase.calm.wa.gov.au/browse/flora?f=081&level=s&id=1743 "Batis argillicola" in Flora of Western Australia]
* [http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-09/ns-sto092502.php Article on the studies done on Saltwort by Massimo Marcone] . It was originally published at newscientist.com: [http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg17523622.000]
* [http://www.biosalinity.org/salt-tolerant_plants.htm Listing of Halophytes & Salt-Tolerant Plants]