Botanical atlas
Widgeongrass
Ruppia maritima
This plant is kept in the atlas for identification and safety, not for use. Read the safety notes below before handling it, and keep it away from children, cats, and food.
Widgeongrass has never held a place in the herbalist's cabinet or the cook's kitchen, but it has long been known to hunters, fishermen, and coastal naturalists as one of the quiet keystones of the tidal world. Its thread-like leaves and seeds are a favorite food of dabbling ducks, especially the wigeon that gave the plant its common name, and old waterfowling guides speak of following the grass beds to find the birds. Where it grows thick, it has traditionally been read as a sign of a healthy, fishable estuary, since young shrimp, crabs, and fish fry shelter in its tangled underwater meadows.
Safety.
Not known to be toxic, but it isn't an established food or medicine and can absorb pollutants from the water it grows in, so it shouldn't be eaten.
Our sister app HerbLens identifies widgeongrass from a photo and keeps its full botanical portrait: growing guide, harvest notes, and look-alike warnings.
View on HerbLensHerbSense shares traditional herbal knowledge for education, not diagnosis or treatment. Herbs can interact with medicines and conditions. Speak with your doctor before acting on anything here, and seek care promptly for anything severe, sudden, or worsening.