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Armeria maritima

Armeria maritima: Plant
Photo by Ken Fern. High resolution version

Armeria maritima: Flower
Photo by Derrick Ditchburn. High resolution version

Common name:	Sea Thrift	Family:	Plumbaginaceae
Author:	(Mill.)Willd.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:	Statice maritima (Mill.), Statice armeria (L. pro parte), Armeria vulgaris (Willd.), Armeria elongata ((Hoffm.)Koch.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	W. Europe, including Britain, from Iceland to N. Spain.
Habitat:	Coastal salt marshes, pastures and maritime cliffs[17]. Dry, sandy, somewhat acidic soils in sandy turf, coastal salt marshes, cliffs and mountain pastures[268].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. arctica[B] A. labradorica[B,P] A. labradorica var. submutica[B,P] A. maritima ssp. arctica[B] A. maritima ssp. labradorica[B,P] A. maritima ssp. maritima[P] A. maritima ssp. purpurea[B] A. maritima ssp. sibirica[B,P] A. maritima subsp. elongata[G] A. maritima var. labradorica[B,P] A. maritima var. pubescens[P] A. maritima var. purpurea[B] A. maritima var. sibirica[B,P] A. scabra[G] A. scabra ssp. sibirica[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Clavel Silvestre [E], Denizsazi [E], Engels Gras [D,E], Sea Pink [H], Sea Thrift [H,B], Siberian Sea Thrift [P], Thrift [L], Thrift Seapink [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	armeria = L. name for Dianthus; maritima = on the sea-coast;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Plumbaginales. Leadwort family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Netherlands; Spain; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 0.1m by 0.15m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles and Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in saline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, Walls, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Leaves; Root.

Leaves - cooked[177]. Used for slimming[61].
Root[69]. No more details are given[69].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Sea thrift is rarely used in herbal medicine, though the dried flowering plant is antibiotic and has been used in the treatment of obesity, some nervous disorders and urinary infections[268]. It cannot be used externally as an antibiotic poultice because it can cause dermatitis or local irritation[268].

Other Uses

Ground cover.

A good ground-cover for a sunny position[200]. The cultivar 'Vindictive' has been especially recommended[188] and so has 'Alba'[190]. Plants form a slowly spreading carpet[208].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most soils including clay and poor sands[200]. Prefers a well-drained sandy soil with added leaf mould and a sunny position[1, 111, 134]. Requires an acid soil according to one report[24] whilst others say that it dislikes acid soils. Plants are very wind-tolerant and succeed in maritime gardens[233]. Established plants are drought tolerant[190]. Succeeds when grown at the top of a retaining wall or a cavity wall[219].
The plant tolerates light treading[200]. It forms a slowly expanding clump and makes a good edging plant[111].
A good butterfly plant[24, 30].
The flower is a symbol of sympathy, used at funerals[66].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 8 hours in warm water and then sow in pots of sandy soil in a cold frame. Germination usually takes place in 2 - 3 weeks at 15°c[134]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring or early summer.
Division in spring or after flowering[111]. Fairly easy, large divisions can be planted out straight into their permanent positions whilst it is probably best to pot up smaller divisions and to grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are rooting well.

Cultivars

'Vindictive': A lower growing form, reaching about 15cm tal[200], it has been especially recommended as a good ground-cover plant for a sunny position[188]. Plants form a slowly spreading carpet[208].
'Alba': A lower growing form, reaching about 15cm tal[200], it has been especially recommended as a good ground-cover plant for a sunny position[188]. Plants form a slowly spreading carpet[208].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Armeria maritima ssp. maritima (a possible synonym).

[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Armeria maritima ssp. sibirica (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Armeria maritima subsp. elongata (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Armeria vulgaris (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for armeria maritima (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

References for the family Plumbaginaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[24] Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.
Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.

[30] Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan 1982 ISBN 0-330-26642-x
An excellent book on Lepidoptera, it also lists their favourite food plants.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[66] Freethy. R. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press 1985 ISBN 0-946284-51-2
Very readable, giving details on plant uses based on the authors own experiences.

[69] Moore. D. M. Flora of Tierra del Fuego. Anthony Nelson. 1983 ISBN 0-904614-05-0
Standard work for this part of S. America. Excellent details of habitat and a few notes on plant uses.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[190] Chatto. B. The Dry Garden. Dent 1982 ISBN 0460045512
A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[268] Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979 ISBN 0-85613-067-2
Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.

Readers Comments

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