Saltmarsh develops on sheltered parts of the coast where fine silt accumulates. Plants begin to establish and trap more silt and hummocks of vegetation build up with pools and hollows in between, covered only at high tides. One of the commonest plants is Thrift Armeria martimia with grass-like leaves and stems with dense pink flowerheads. This plant grows in tussocky cushions. it will probably be mixed with the Common Saltmarsh-grass Puccinellia maritima with spiky leaves, sometimes flat, or inrolled when dry.
Scurvygrass Cochlearia officinalis is often found with rounded fleshy leaves growing is lush clumps. It has clusters of white flowers follwed by fat round pods. A taller fleshy-leaved plant is the Sea Aster Aster tripolium. The smooth leaves are long and narrow and it has pale mauve flowers with yellow centres. Sea Plantain Plantago maritima is also usually a conspicuous member of this community. The long, narrow, fleshy leaves are more robust than those of Thrift. The flower heads are long and narrow with bright yellow stamens.
Some flowering plants grow on the sand and are covered by every tide. Glasswort Salicornia species grows in tiny thickets of jointed fleshy stems. They are stiffly upright and have minute flowers.
Many of the species found on a sandy or pebble beach are found in saltmarshes too. becasue they can tollerate periodic inundations of salty water some of the species also grow beside roads that are given high amounts of salt when they are gritted in the winter.
Click on a picture to find out more about the plant when its name is underlined