Glasswort habitats useful as edible species in the Gargano (Southern Italy) according to Directive 92/43 EEC: management and valorization

Halophilous coastal habitats are often rich in wild plant species potentially edible for humans. However, they are rarely exploited, because people prefer to purchase ready-made products from markets. This is also due to the loss of skill and knowledge of edible wild species, with young people increasingly less inclined to utilize wild plant resources. In the Gargano, Lago di Lesina and Lago di Varano in the northern sector, the small marsh of Palude Sfinale in the further east, and finally the widespread wetland area in the southern part that include “Palude Frattarolo, Lago Salso, and Laguna del re”, was reported halophilous community habitat protected under Directive 92/43 EEC (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/1992/43/). Specifically, was investigated the habitats with annual and perennial glasswort, defined respectively as: “Salicornia and other annuals colonizing mud and sand” (code 1310) and Mediterranean and thermo-Atlantic halophilous scrubs (Sarcocornetiea fruticosi) (code 1420) (http://vnr.unipg.it/habitat/). The survey of the different Salicornia species and of the habitats in which they grow was conducted through over 80 vegetation samplings during the spring-summer seasons 2025-2026, according to the phytosociological approach (Braun-Blanquet 1964). These two habitats differ for some ecological and micro-pedological aspects, and they present different species of genus Salicornia L. Specifically, in the study area, the habitat 1310 has as a dominant species, two small annual plants: Salicornia perennans Willd. subsp. perennans and Salicornia procumbens Sm. subsp. veneta (Pignatti & Lausi) Sciuto, M.A.Wolf, Sfriso, Brancaleoni, Iberite & Iamonico, while the habitat 1420, presents different aspects with shrubby perennial plants: Salicornia perennis Mill., Salicornia fruticosa (L.) L., and Arthrocaulon macrostachyum(Moric.) Piirainen & G.Kadereit.

All these five species, which characterize two different habitats, are marketed generically as genus Salicornia(Glasswort), but being a critical taxonomic group, morphologically complex to distinguish between the group, the few gatherers/farmers identify them as a single species generically locally named “salicornia”. However, under Salicorniagenus grow in the study area at least five different species with different chemical compositions and, therefore, different properties. The aim of the study is to harmonize critical issues at the management level of habitats and species taxonomy.

References

Braun-Blanquet J (3^rd ed) (1964) Pflanzensoziologie: Grundzüge der Vegetationskunde. Springer-Verlag, Vienna