[1] Suaeda californica is a mound-shaped shrub up to 80 centimeters tall with hairless or slightly hairy succulent green or red-tinged herbage.

This rare plant, Suaeda californica, grows in a restricted area within the intertidal zone of salt marshes.

[1] It requires a porous substrate high in nitrogen, which may come from decaying plant matter and bird droppings.

[1] It probably once grew along the Petaluma River north of the bay, as remains of the species have been found in adobe bricks there.

[5] By 1991 the total remaining number of individuals was estimated to be below 500, and the plant was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1994.