Salt spray flies. Wind scours the dunes. Most plants flinch. This one does not. Native shoreweed is a creeping, succulent ground cover. It grows on salt marshes and sand dunes. The leaves are fleshy and have a salty, slightly bitter flavour. They can be eaten raw in salads or cooked as a green vegetable. The plant forms dense mats that help stabilise sand dunes. The small, white, star-shaped flowers appear in summer. The leaves are spoon-shaped, bright green, and succulent. They have a smooth, waxy surface. The stems root at the nodes. This allows the plant to spread rapidly across the ground. A single plant can form a mat several metres across. It binds the sand with its network of roots. Native shoreweed is a plant of the coastal zone. It grows in salt marshes, on sand dunes, and along the margins of estuaries. It tolerates high levels of salt, occasional inundation by seawater, and strong winds. It is an important sand-binder. Its dense mats hold the dunes together and prevent erosion. The flowers are small and white. They have five petals arranged in a star shape. They appear in summer and are followed by small, dry fruits containing the seeds. Insects pollinate the flowers. Native bees are particularly fond of them. To find native shoreweed is to walk the coastal dunes and salt marshes. Look for the dense, creeping mats of succulent leaves. Look for the star-shaped white flowers. It is a plant of the coast. A survivor of the salt spray. A few leaves can add a salty tang to a salad. It is a taste of the sea. It is the shoreweed of the dunes. The green of the salt marsh. Populations are considered stable but localised. The species is common in suitable coastal habitats throughout its range. It is threatened by ongoing coastal development. Habitat loss from coastal development is the primary threat. Climate change affects coastal habitats and sea level rise. Competition from introduced weeds is also a factor. The edge of the land is under pressure. The shoreweed holds its ground.