Bloomipedia
Sea sandwort (Honckenya peploides)
Photo: mfeaver via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Sea sandwort

Honckenya peploides

Sea sandwort (Honckenya peploides) is a flowering plant in the Caryophyllaceae family, native in the lower 48 states.

Native to Alaska

Sea sandwort is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.

13states where USDA records it
856AK sightings*
1,994U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alaska

Quick look

Honckenya peploides, the sea sandwort (UK) or seaside sandplant (Canada), is the only species in the genus Honckenya of the plant family Caryophyllaceae. Other common names include sea chickweed, sea pimpernal, sea-beach sandwort, and sea purslane. The scientific name is often spelled "Honkenya", and is named after the German botanist Gerhard August Honckeny. This plant has a circumboreal distribution.

  • It belongs to the Caryophyllaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 13 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Alaska. NatureServe
  • iNaturalist has 856 research-grade sightings of it in Alaska, ranking #51 among the 121 flowers on our Alaska list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month in Alaska (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (25 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
Alaska
No list Alaska has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alaska ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alaska.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: DE (SH), MD (S1), VA (SH). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records sea sandwort in 13 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington.

Alaska counties with USDA records: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Bethel, Chugach, Copper River, Haines, Juneau, Kenai Peninsula, Ketchikan Gateway, Kodiak Island, Lake and Peninsula, Nome, North Slope, Northwest Arctic, Sitka, Yakutat.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Greenland: Native; Lower 48 states: Native; St. Pierre and Miquelon: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 57 counties across 12 states; the most are in Alaska (16), Washington (9), Maine (6).

More from the Caryophyllaceae family (9 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): White campion, Common soapwort, Deptford pink, Fire pink, Star chickweed, Cardinal catchfly, Bladder campion, Moss campion.

More Alaska flowers

Moss campion (Silene acaulis)

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🌼 Blooms in AK: June–July
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Fireweed

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Common cowparsnip (Heracleum maximum)

Common cowparsnip

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Sources