sea lavender
- Also called:
- statice or marsh rosemary
sea lavender, (genus Limonium), genus of about 300 species of chiefly perennial herbaceous plants of the family Plumbaginaceae. The plants are found in North America, Eurasia, Africa, and Australia, most members being found around the Mediterranean region. Sea lavenders tolerate saline soils and are frequently found in coastal areas. The flower spikes of sea lavenders are often used in dry-flower arrangements for their lasting qualities and permanent colours. They are unrelated to true lavender or rosemary of the mint family (Lamiaceae).
Physical description
Sea lavender plants typically have leaves in rosettes at their bases and often have creeping rhizomes. The simple leaves are roughly oval in shape, with or without leaf stalks (petioles), and may have toothed, undulating, or smooth margins. The small flowers can be white, yellow, pink, or various shades of purple and are densely borne in many-branched clusters. The fruit is a small capsule.
Major species
One of the most common species is Mediterranean, or common, sea lavender (Limonium vulgare). Bearing small flowers in dense spikes, it grows naturally in large tracts that sometimes turn acres lilac-coloured in late summer. It is a popular ornamental in warm climates. Wavy-leaf sea lavender (L. sinuatum) is one of several species cultivated for use as cut flowers in the floral industry. A few species, including tree sea lavender (L. arborescens) of Tenerife, are tall and shrubby.
