Batis

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iBatis

Male flowers on Batis maritima

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Bataceae
Genus:	Batis L.

Species

Batis argillicola
Batis maritima

For other uses, see Batis (disambiguation).

Batis (Turtleweed, Saltwort*, Beachwort, or Pickleweed) is a genus of two species of flowering plants, the only genus in the family Bataceae. They are halophytic (salt tolerant) plants, native to the coastal saltmarshes of warm temperate and tropical America (B. maritima) and tropical Australasia (B. argillicola).
* Note that the name Saltwort is also used for the unrelated genus Salsola.

Both species are evergreen low shrubs growing to 10-70 cm tall, prostrate where colonizing new mud, but once rooted, growing bushy. The leaves are small, swollen, fleshy and narrowly club-shaped. They are bright green, but can also take on a reddish color. The flowers are small, produced in nonshowy spikes, flowering from mid summer to fall. The American species is dioecious, while the Austalasian species is monoecious.

Some botanists divide B. maritima into five species, with B. californica, B. fruticosa, B. spinosa and B. vermiculatus split off, but this interpretation is not widely followed.

Batis has the ability to live in salty environments. When other plants are exposed to salty soil or water, they lose most of their stored water, but Batis has adapted to this environment and does not have these problems. To help it survive in this salty habitat, its fleshy leaves are covered with very fine hairs that reduce the amount of water the plant loses to the air.

Not many animals can eat it because it is too salty, but White-tailed Deer eat B. maritima as part of their diet. Eastern Pygmy-Blue butterflies collect the nectar from its flowers. B. maritima is becoming rare in some areas, and some scientists think it should be added to the United States endangered species list, though it has also become an invasive species in Hawaii after accidental introduction there.

[edit] Uses

B. maritima was used by Native Americans as a food, the roots were chewed (like sugar cane) or boiled into a beverage while the stems and leaves were eaten raw, cooked or pickled. B. argillicola is also eaten as a green vegetable.

Saltwort has unexpectedly turned out to be a nutritious food source. An analysis of its peppercorn-sized seeds has revealed that they are extremely nutritious, having high quantities of proteins, oils and starches [1]. According to Massimo Marco from an article published by New Scientist, the seeds are extremely edible, having a nutty taste, and they can be added to salads, toasted, or even made into miniature popcorn. The oil is almost identical to safflower oil, which is used for cooking and in salad dressings, as well as for making margarine. The seeds also contain beneficial antioxidants such as tocopherols, which are thought to fight cancer.