Namesake

Noor and Samphire trudged along through the salty muck, trying ineffectively to keep pace with Tib’s longer legs. The three young mothcats were in search of the perfect plant for their Naturalist Badges, and the salt marsh in the southernmost part of Aldora seemed like the perfect place to look.

“All I see is this stupid pointy grass!” whined Samphire, plucking a piece and tossing it over her shoulder for dramatic effect.

“That’s Spartina,” Noor said gently, picking up the discarded grass, “There are actually two different kinds – this kind is Smooth Cord Grass (Spartina alterniflora), but higher up in the marsh you’ll find Salt Hay (Spartina patens) instead. They’re both a very important part of salt marsh ecosystems.”

“Boooring!” rejected Samphire, turning away and resuming her trek through the mud.

Noor gently set the grass down and followed suit. By that point, Tib had practically disappeared into a stand of cattails in the distance.

“What’re those over there?” Samphire asked, “The tall ones.”

“The cattails?” asked Noor.

“No, the ones with the fluffy tops,” Sam corrected, looking a bit indignant, “I know what a cattail looks like.”

“Oh, yes I see,” Noor nodded, “Those are Phragmites. They’re a type of reed, but they’re invasive here in Aldora.”

“Ugh!” exclaimed Samphire, “I don’t wanna draw a RUDE INVASIVE PLANT for my naturalist badge.”

“That’s fine,” said Noor, “I’m sure we’ll find the perfect plant for you somewhere around here.”

“Hmph,” Sam pouted and tromped forward. The two cats sloshed through the mud in silence for the next few minutes, with Sam giving dirty looks to the abundant cord grass around her.

The silence was broken by Noor, who let out a small gasp, “Samphire, come here!”

The plump mothcat spun to face her friend, “What’d you find?”

“Come look at this,” Noor said, pointing at something that looked like a spindly, spineless red and green cactus. Upon further inspection, Samphire noticed that the whole area was covered in them.

“What is that?” she asked.

“It’s Salicornia,” said Noor with a knowing smile, “The genus has lots of common names – Saltwort, Glasswort, Pickleweed, Sea Beans… and Samphire.”

“Yeah?” Sam said at the sound of her name.

“Now I mean… Samphire is one of the plant’s common names,” clarified Noor, her smile growing.

“WHAT?!” Sam exploded, crouching down to look more closely at the odd little plant before her, “Wooow, I’m named after this? Coooool.”

“It’s edible,” Noor pointed out, “Would you like to try a piece?”

“Do I wanna eat myself?! HECK YES!” declared Samphire, plucking a small piece off the vaguely cactus-shaped plant and nibbling at it, “It’s… salty? Weeeeird. I love it!” She plucked a nearby saltwort plant and began munching.

Noor sat down, “Saltwort—Samphire—is extremely salt-tolerant. It’s one of the first plants to colonize salt-rich soils that other plants can’t tolerate. There’s a lot growing here, so this soil must be pretty salty.”

“Coool,” Sam said contemplatively as she continued to munch on her namesake.

“It’s a succulent,” Noor continued, “Y’know, like cacti and aloe. It stores water and nutrients in its fleshy stems for hard times… and salt, since the water around it is salty. That’s why it tastes so salty.”

“I am named after the coolest plant EVER!” Samphire declared around a mouthful of saltwort.

Noor smiled, “Don’t forget to save some for sketching. If you eat it all, you won’t have a plant to draw for your naturalist badge.”