glasswort

American  

[glas-wurt, -wawrt, glahs-] / ˈglæsˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt, ˈglɑs- /

noun

1. any of several plants of the genus Salicornia, of the amaranth family, having succulent stems with rudimentary leaves, formerly used, when burned to ashes, as a source of soda for glassmaking.

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glasswort British  

/ ˈɡlɑːsˌwɜːt /

noun

1. Also called: marsh samphire.  any plant of the chenopodiaceous genus Salicornia, of salt marshes, having fleshy stems and scalelike leaves: formerly used as a source of soda for glass-making

2. another name for saltwort

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Etymology

Origin of glasswort

First recorded in 1590–1600; glass + wort ²

Example Sentences

Salsola Kali, an allied plant with rigid, fleshy, spinous-pointed leaves, which was used for the same purpose, was known as prickly glasswort.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 1 "Gichtel, Johann" to "Glory" by Various

The glasswort has leaves, it is true, but they are thick and fleshy, continuous with the stem, and each one terminating in a sharp, needle-like spine, which effectually protects the weed against all browsing aggressors.

From Science in Arcady by Allen, Grant

There the local flora was represented by a wide carpet of samphire, a small umbelliferous plant that keeps quite nicely, which also boasts the names glasswort, saxifrage, and sea fennel.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Walter, F. P.

The fleshy leaves at a little distance suggest the form of many plants of brackish marsh and creek edges, and even the glasswort itself.

From The Garden, You, and I by Wright, Mabel Osgood

Still more cactus-like in general effect is another familiar English seaside weed, the kali or glasswort, so called because it was formerly burnt to extract the soda.

From Science in Arcady by Allen, Grant