Wild Harris

Glasswort    (Photo: Laurie Campbell)

In the saltmarsh areas at Seilebost and Northton, you can find this strange plant. The stems were burned and used to make glass as there are a lot of minerals in them. This is how it got its name.

It is another plant that is adapted to living where there is not much freshwater – the stems are fleshy to store water and the leaves are a bit like scales. Overall, it looks a bit like a miniature cactus.

The young plants are good to eat – either raw or pickled in vinegar.

by Alison Tyler