Batis
Encyclopedia
Batis is a genus of two species of flowering plant
s, the only genus in the family Bataceae. They are halophytic
(salt tolerant) plants, native to the coastal salt marsh
es of warm temperate and tropical America
(B. maritima) and tropical Australasia
(B. argillicola).
low shrub
s growing to 10–70 cm tall, prostrate where colonizing new mud, but once rooted, growing bushy. The leaves
are small, swollen, fleshy and narrowly club-shaped. They are bright green, but can also take on a reddish color. The flower
s are small, produced in nonshowy spikes, flowering from mid summer to fall. The American species is dioecious
, while the Australasian species is monoecious
.
Some botanists divide B. maritima into five species, with B. californica, B. fruticosa, B. spinosa and B. vermiculatus split off, but this interpretation is not widely followed.
An example habitat of occurrence of Batis maritima is in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of the Yucatán.
Not many animals can eat it because it is too salty, but White-tailed Deer
eat B. maritima as part of their diet. Eastern Pygmy-Blue butterflies collect the nectar from its flowers. B. maritima is becoming rare in some areas, and some scientists think it should be added to the United States
endangered species
list, though it has also become an invasive species
in Hawaii
after accidental introduction there.
as a food, the root
s were chewed (like sugar cane) or boiled into a beverage while the stems and leaves were eaten raw, cooked or pickled. B. argillicola is also eaten as a green vegetable.
Saltwort has unexpectedly turned out to be a nutritious food source. An analysis of its peppercorn-sized seeds has revealed that they are extremely nutritious, having high quantities of protein
s, oils and starch
es http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-09/ns-sto092502.php. According to Massimo Marco from an article published by New Scientist
, the seed
s are extremely edible, having a nutty taste, and they can be added to salads, toasted, or even made into miniature popcorn
. The oil is almost identical to safflower oil, which is used for cooking and in salad dressings, as well as for making margarine
. The seeds also contain beneficial antioxidants such as tocopherols, which are thought to fight cancer.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s, the only genus in the family Bataceae. They are halophytic
Halophyte
A halophyte is a plant that grows where it is affected by salinity in the root area or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. An example of a halophyte is the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora . Relatively few plant species are...
(salt tolerant) plants, native to the coastal salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es of warm temperate and tropical America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
(B. maritima) and tropical Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
(B. argillicola).
Morphology and taxonomy
Both species are evergreenEvergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
low shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s growing to 10–70 cm tall, prostrate where colonizing new mud, but once rooted, growing bushy. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are small, swollen, fleshy and narrowly club-shaped. They are bright green, but can also take on a reddish color. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are small, produced in nonshowy spikes, flowering from mid summer to fall. The American species is dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, while the Australasian species is monoecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
.
Some botanists divide B. maritima into five species, with B. californica, B. fruticosa, B. spinosa and B. vermiculatus split off, but this interpretation is not widely followed.
Range and habitat
Batis has the ability to live in salty environments. When other plants are exposed to salty soil or water, they lose most of their stored water, but Batis has adapted to this environment and does not have these problems. To help it survive in this salty habitat, its fleshy leaves are covered with very fine hairs that reduce the amount of water the plant loses to the air.An example habitat of occurrence of Batis maritima is in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of the Yucatán.
Not many animals can eat it because it is too salty, but White-tailed Deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
eat B. maritima as part of their diet. Eastern Pygmy-Blue butterflies collect the nectar from its flowers. B. maritima is becoming rare in some areas, and some scientists think it should be added to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
list, though it has also become an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
after accidental introduction there.
Uses
B. maritima was used by Native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
as a food, the root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
s were chewed (like sugar cane) or boiled into a beverage while the stems and leaves were eaten raw, cooked or pickled. B. argillicola is also eaten as a green vegetable.
Saltwort has unexpectedly turned out to be a nutritious food source. An analysis of its peppercorn-sized seeds has revealed that they are extremely nutritious, having high quantities of protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
s, oils and starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
es http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-09/ns-sto092502.php. According to Massimo Marco from an article published by New Scientist
New Scientist
New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
, the seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s are extremely edible, having a nutty taste, and they can be added to salads, toasted, or even made into miniature popcorn
Popcorn
Popcorn, or popping corn, is corn which expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn is able to pop because, like sorghum, quinoa and millet, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. This allows pressure to build inside the kernel until an explosive...
. The oil is almost identical to safflower oil, which is used for cooking and in salad dressings, as well as for making margarine
Margarine
Margarine , as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes, typically composed of vegetable oils. In many parts of the world, the market share of margarine and spreads has overtaken that of butter...
. The seeds also contain beneficial antioxidants such as tocopherols, which are thought to fight cancer.