Salicornia fruticosa, synonym Sarcocornia fruticosa, is a species of glasswort in the family Amaranthaceae (pigweeds). It is native to southern Europe, north Africa, Western Asia and Yemen. It is a halophyte, a plant that can grow in saline conditions.[1]
It is the main saltwort species used in making special pot ash made during Mesopotamian times to the early Islamic era – قَلَيّ qali – which is the basis for the word "alkali".[2]