ABSTRACT
Dwarf glasswort occurs as scattered populations in temperate and subtropical regions on the East and West coasts of North America, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic seaboard. Dwarf glasswort uses the C4 mechanism of photosynthesis, which is common in tropical and subtropical plants, adapting them to efficient use of very high levels of sunlight. The oil has a pleasant, nutlike taste and a texture similar to olive oil, and it can be used as a cooking oil. Although this edible oil application could transform dwarf glasswort into a very important food plant, its current food use is as a very minor vegetable. Dwarf glasswort can be grown in areas that are quite unsuitable for conventional crops—extreme coastal desert environments, inland regions that have soils that are naturally high in salt, and agriculturally exploited lands that have been very seriously degraded by salinization.
