New field guide reveals potential opportunity to tackle saline environments

21/10/02
Those tough native survivors, the samphires - or succulent leafless shrubs - may hold the key to breeding new food crops in Western Australia's marginal areas, a new book suggests.
Samphires are remarkably hardy - they can cling to claypans through frost, drought and flood - and already are proving their worth in the rehabilitation of mine sites.
But Environment and Heritage Minister Dr Judy Edwards sees their value as being potentially greater.
Dr Edwards was speaking in Albany, where she launched Samphires of Western Australia, published by the Department of Conservation and Land Management and the first field guide to identifying the shrubs, frequently found in saline wetlands.
The book was written by environmental consultant Bindy Datson and its publication funded through the State Government's salinity program.
"Easily read and beautifully illustrated, the book's release is particularly timely as few studies have been made of our samphires which are so widespread in WA," Dr Edwards said.
"The guide, designed for landcare officers and farm advisors, as well as botanists, outlines the environmental and aesthetic value of 30 species, variously found in conditions ranging from waterlogged saline soils to hard-baked clay."
The Minister said the author suggested the samphire's ability to live in such harsh environments might mean it could eventually be feasible to use the shrub's genetic material to breed food crop plants for growing in marginal areas.
"Species of samphire are common across the world and in some countries have traditionally been eaten either pickled or boiled," she said.
"Aboriginal people traditionally used the seed of some species to make a flour for dampers and this was an important food source.
"Experimental planting of native species has been carried out in Victoria and overseas, in the Middle East, Mexico and America's west coast, where fresh water is scarce.
"In the overseas trials samphires were planted in fields, like rice, and irrigated with sea water. The whole plant was harvested for hay, sometimes being first threshed and the seed crushed for its oil. In making hay, the salt was removed by roller-pressing before the crop was dried."
The publication is part of a range of activities in which CALM is engaged to develop and encourage the use of native plants to meet economic, biodiversity, land and water conservation goals.
Dr Edwards was in Albany to open an international conference, 'Prospects for Biodiversity and Rivers in Salinising Landscapes', organised by WA research centres for excellence in natural resource management and plant-based management of dryland salinity.
Samphires of Western Australia costs $25.95 and is available from bookstores, camping shops, visitor centres and Department of Conservation and Land Management offices.
Minister's office: 9220 5050