Glasswort

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Glasswort \Glass"wort`\, n. (Bot.)
     A seashore plant of the Spinach family ({Salicornia
     herbacea}), with succulent jointed stems; also, a prickly
     plant of the same family ({Salsola Kali}), both formerly
     burned for the sake of the ashes, which yield soda for making
     glass and soap.


     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  glasswort
       n 1: bushy plant of Old World salt marshes and sea beaches having
            prickly leaves; burned to produce a crude soda ash [syn:
             {saltwort}, {barilla}, {kali}, {kelpwort}, {Salsola
            kali}, {Salsola soda}]
       2: fleshy maritime plant having fleshy stems with rudimentary
          scalelike leaves and small spikes of minute flowers;
          formerly used in making glass [syn: {samphire}, {Salicornia
          europaea}]