Shingle plants

Vegetated shingle is an internationally rare habitat, made up of some highly specialised plant communities.

Communities of plants

Shingle communities develop in distinct zones. The first is the ephemeral community, made up of a hardy annual plant called orache. This may appear as a green haze covering the shingle just above the tide mark. Orache has to complete its life cycle quickly as it is often washed away by the first of the autumn storms.

Immediately landward of the orache is the pioneer community where only a few species are able to grow. Typically there are a few individual plants separated by large areas of bare shingle. These plants help bind the shingle together and allow some soil to build up.

The intermediate community is much more diverse, with a mosaic of bare shingle and clumps of vegetation.

The most landward zone is the established community. This is a rich community of low-growing plants, mosses and lichens.

Species of plants

Sea kale is one of the first pioneers. A type of cabbage, it is a large plant with a mass of white flowers and thick grey-green leaves with a waxy coating to reduce water loss. Its tap root can be up to 2m long to reach the freshwater far below the ground surface.

It is thought that the incoming tide pushes freshwater up to within reach of these roots twice a day. Large seeds means they are less likely to get lost between the pebbles. The seeds are buoyant, so widely dispersed by the sea, helping the plant to colonise new areas.

Yellow-horned poppy is another pioneer plant which can withstand the harsh conditions on the coast. Like sea kale, it has very long tap roots and hairy leaves to help reduce water loss. It gets its name from its flowers, each of which last a day, and its long horn-like seed pods which contain hundreds of small seeds.

Sea beet or sea spinach is found in the intermediate community. It has glossy green leaves and tall angular stems which turns bright red. It was first cultivated about 2000 years ago in the Middle East as a vegetable.

Viper’s bugloss is very distinctive with beautiful blue flowers. Bugloss comes from the Greek for ox-tongue because of the shape of the leaf. The stem and sometimes the leaves are speckled, supposedly like snake skin, and the dried seeds are thought to look like a snake head. Viper’s bugloss is said to be a remedy for snake bite and also good for curing love sickness. The flowers are nectar-rich making the plant very good for invertebrates. Farmers often call it the blue devil as it has a very long root and so is hard to get rid of.

Bittersweet or woody nightshade has red berries (deadly nightshade has black) and distinctive purple and yellow flowers. It gets its name because if you chew the roots or stem they taste bitter first, then sweet, but the berries are poisonous. It is common in woods and hedgerows where it climbs up other plants, but on shingle it grows low to the ground to protect itself from the strong winds common on the coast.

Sea bindweed also grows low along the ground on shingle and sand dunes. It does not have tendrils like other bindweeds and much of the stem is buried. It is very pretty with pink and white flowers and kidney shaped leaves.

Sea campion is pretty and seemingly delicate. It has very small leaves and grows in mats or cushions to protect itself from the wind.

Biting stonecrop has succulent leaves to help it retain water and grows low to the ground, forming a mat to protect itself from the wind. It helps to bind the shingle together as it has lots of very thin, fibrous roots. Biting stonecrop is sometimes called wall-pepper because of its taste.

Sea holly is low growing and has silvery coloured, leathery leaves. It grows towards the back of the beach or where there is rather more sand mixed in with the shingle. It has numerous medical qualities and is good for wind and as an expectorant. In the 17th century its roots were candied and sold as a delicacy.

Red hemp nettle is a nationally scarce plant meaning it occurs in less than 100 10km squares in Great Britain. It was first recorded at Pevensey in 1999 and is continuing to do well in that area.

Sea pea is a rarity in Sussex, only found at Winchelsea and Rye. It grows low to the ground forming large mats helping to reduce the loss of freshwater.