About Suaeda vera Forssk. ex J.F.Gmel.
Suaeda vera Forssk. ex J.F.Gmel. has a chromosome count of 2n=36. This species is primarily distributed along the coasts of the Mediterranean region. In Europe, its range extends north along the Atlantic coasts of Spain, Portugal, and France, reaching as far as south-eastern England. It is not found around the Black Sea. Taxonomic confusion makes the species' distribution in Africa more complicated. It occurs in the Canary Islands and the Maghreb countries of northern Africa, and likely extends into the Sahel countries of Sudan and Mauritania. It remains unclear whether populations further south in Africa, formerly classified as Suaeda fruticosa, belong to S. vera or S. vermiculata. For example, the 1988 Atlas Florae Europaeae, which is based on an older edition of Flora Europaea, lists Cape Verde for S. fruticosa; this population is not actually S. fruticosa, and it is unclear which taxon it actually belongs to. In Asia, this species is limited to the Mediterranean region, occurring in the Levant and along the coasts of southern Anatolia. It does not extend east into Iraq or Pakistan, where true S. fruticosa is found. A similar taxonomic situation appears to hold on the Arabian Peninsula. In terms of ecology, S. vera seeds germinate more readily in fresh water than in salt water. In Britain, it is a coastal species that grows especially at the boundary between shingle and salt marsh. It is counted among a group of sodium-rich plants called 'barilla', which were historically used to produce soda ash for the soap and glass industries. Large quantities of this plant were exported from North Africa during the 18th and 19th centuries. A trial conducted in Tunisia found that it is possible to grow both S. vera and the cordgrass Spartina alterniflora, and increase their yields, by irrigating with seawater, but only when additional nitrogen and phosphorus are added. The high salt content of the plants is expected to limit their use as standalone forage crops; they are more likely to be used as components of mixed animal feed.
