In the salt marsh, there are often, but not always, open sandy places where nothing grows. These areas are called salt flats. They are the saltiest places in the salt marsh, too salty for most plants. They are salty because they are flooded at highest tide, and then the sun and air cause the water to evaporate but leave behind the salt. Around the edges of the salt flats some specialized, salt-loving plants can grow, such as glasswort and salt grass.
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There are two species of glasswort. One is an annual and lives only for one year, then dies. It is the taller, branched plant farthest out into the salt flat. The other is a perennial and lives for...
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Salt grass sends underground stems called rhizomes into the salt flat. Sprouts from these rhizomes make stems and leaves above ground. You can see where the rhizome lies underground because the stems...