Common near the coasts of California in salt marshes, the Glasswort (also called Sea Asparagus, or Pickleweed) is a halophyte succulent that thrives in environments with high salinities. The plant diffuses oxygen around its roots into the often anaerobic soil for ATP production that powers sodium-potassium ion pumps in its root cells, filtering out salt as they intake water. Glasswort ultimately cannot filter out all the salt from its environment at its roots, so it stores excess salt in vacuoles at the tips of finger-like projections above the surface. These projections accumulate salt in segmented tubes before shedding them off to dispose of otherwise toxic levels of salt. These stems also serve as water storage for the plants in preparation for dry spells and carry out photosynthesis for the plant.

The accumulation, compartmentalization, and disposal of salt ions in halophytes can be applied to make agriculture feasible and combat hunger in environments that may have previously been inhospitable due to excessive salinity or excess of other substances.

Ryan Fu