West Highland Flora

Triglochin palustris

Photo © Carl Farmer
8 Sep 2002 Portree, Skye

Common in marshy areas including on hills, and in the upper part of saltmarshes.

Fruit c 7-10 mm long.  Flower diameter 2-3 mm

ID: Flowers similar to Sea Arrowgrass, but Marsh has leaves deeply furrowed at base while Sea does not.  Fruit long and narrow, completely different from Sea.

Other features: Petals/sepals 6, all similar, green and purple.  The showy parts of the flower are the long white stigmas.  In general it is a more delicate plant than Sea Arrowgrass, with the flowers or fruits less densely packed around the stem.

Photo © Carl Farmer
24 Aug 2003 Broadford, Skye

Photo © Carl Farmer
24 Aug 2003 Broadford, Skye

Photo © Carl Farmer
24 Aug 2003 Broadford, Skye

Photo © Carl Farmer
24 Aug 2003 Broadford, Skye
 

Photo © Carl Farmer
29 Sep 2002 Portree, Skye
 

Here growing with Sea Arrowgrass.  Marsh is the one with the long narrow fruits, the fruiting spikes being yellowish and more upright in this picture.  Sea has more rounded fruits, and in this picture (but not in general) the spikes are at an angle.  The two species often overlap around the high-tide mark.