32 Nebraskaland • June 2020
Saving Saltwort
Returning Salt to Salt Marshes
By Gerry Steinauer
he state endangered plant
saltwort grows in salt marshes in
Lancaster County and nowhere
else in our state. Unfortunately,
decline of the marshes during the past
150 years has left this species hanging
on by a thread. I held little hope of
saltwort surviving in Nebraska until
I recently learned of a creative new
restoration method for returning salt
to the damaged marshes.
A Uniquely Adapted Plant
Within salt marshes, saltwort
(Salicornia rubra) grows mainly on salt
fl ats. Wet much of the year, these clay
fl ats dry in summer and evaporation
wicks salt to the soil surface, forming a
white, crystalline crust. The fl ats are a
trying environment for plants.
Salt marshes, also known as saline
wetlands, are a rare habitat throughout
the Great Plains. Prior to settlement,
these wetlands occupied about 20,000
acres in Lancaster County, mainly in
the Salt, Little Salt and Rock creek
valleys. Though uncommon in the
Plains, saltwort is common in saline,
inland habitats in western states.
Saltwort is a compact annual
with a waxy stem and tiny, scale-
like leaves, features that limit water
loss. A nibble of the stem confi rms
T
Saltwort grows on a submerged saltfl at at Little Salt Creek West Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County.
PHOTO
BY
JON
FARRAR
