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Cakile edentula (Bigelow) Hook.

Sea rocket

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassRosidaeRoses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
OrderBrassicalesMustard, cabbage, caper, papaya, nasturtiums, many others; most produce mustard oil
FamilyBrassicaceaeMustards, cabbages
GenusCakileAn old Arabic name for this plant
SpeciesedentulaWithout teeth

About plant names...

American sea rocket, named for its rocket-like seed pods, is native to beaches and sand dunes of eastern North America. It is an invasive in Japan and Australia.

Plants: Plants are 6-20″ (15-50 cm) high, and about the same around, with succulent stems. They look rather disheveled, like tumbleweed.

Leaves: Basal leaves are ovate to spatulate. Leaves are alternate, 1-2″ (2.5-5 cm) × ¼-½″ (6.3-12 mm), oblanceolate, with crenate, shallowly lobed, or undulate margins.

Flowers: Upper stems bear racemes of flowers 2-10″ (5-25 cm) long. Flowers are up to ¼″ (6.3 mm) around, lavender to white, with 4 petals, 6 stamens, and a pistil with a single style. Flowers appear from July to September.

Fruits: Each seedpod is elongated, ½-¾″ (1.3-1.9 cm) long, and comprised of two segments. The lower segment is roughly cylindrical and about ¼″ (6.3 mm) long. The upper segment is a cylinder about ½″ (1.3 cm) long, that tapers to a beak. Each segment typically contains a seed. There is a reason for the complex-seeming design: the upper seg­ment floats, and carries its payload on a sea adventure to a distant locale. Meanwhile, the lower segment typically sprouts nearby.

Edibility: Young stems and leaves are “pungent,” somewhat like horseradish. Young leaves are mixed with other greens in salads, and older stronger tasting leaves are cooked with other leaves as a potherb.

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers (Cakile edentula var. lacustris)

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

JSTOR Plant Science

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

9/21/2021 · Pott’s Point Preserve, Harpswell, Maine

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

9/18/2016 · Deer Isle Beach Vegetation Recla

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

7/20/2023 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

9/21/2021 · Pott’s Point Preserve, Harpswell, Maine

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

9/18/2016 · Deer Isle Beach Vegetation Recla

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm)

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

7/27/2015 · Two Lights, Cape Elizabeth, Maine · ≈ 2½ × 1¾″ (7.1 × 4.7 cm)

 

Cakile edentula description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 19 Aug 2023.

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Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

7/20/2023 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

7/27/2015 · Two Lights, Cape Elizabeth, Maine · ≈ 3 × 2″ (8.4 × 5.6 cm)

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

7/20/2023 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

9/18/2016 · Deer Isle Beach Vegetation Recla

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

7/5/2021 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

9/18/2016 · Deer Isle Beach Vegetation Recla

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

7/27/2015 · Two Lights, Cape Elizabeth, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (30 × 20 cm)

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

7/5/2021 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 16 cm)

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)

Cakile edentula (sea rocket)

9/21/2021 · Pott’s Point Preserve, Harpswell, Maine

Range:

About this map...