Botanical Name: Limonium vulgare
Family: Plumbaginaceae
Order: Caryophyllales
Rank: Genus
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Caryophyllales
Genus: Limonium
Common Names: Sea-lavender, Statice, Caspia or Marsh-rosemary. Mediterranean sea lavender, Common Privet
Habitat: Sea lavenders is native to Western and southern Europe, including Britain, N. Africa, N. America. It prefers to grow on muddy salt marshes, avoiding shade. It flourishs in saline soils, and are therefore common near coasts and in salt marshes, and also on saline, gypsum and alkaline soils in continental interiors.
Description:
Sea-lavenders normally grow as herbaceous perennial plants, growing 10–70 cm tall from a rhizome; a few (mainly from the Canary Islands) are woody shrubs up to 2 metres tall.
The leaves are simple, entire to lobed, and from 1–30 cm long and 0.5–10 cm broad; most of the leaves are produced in a dense basal rosette, with the flowering stems bearing only small brown scale-leaves (bracts). The flowers are produced on a branched panicle or corymb, the individual flowers are small (4–10 mm long) with a five-lobed calyx and corolla, and five stamens; the flower colour is pink or violet to purple in most species, white or yellow in a few. Many of the species are apomictic. The fruit is a small capsule containing a single seed, partly enclosed by the persistent calyx.
Cultivation & propagation:
Seed – sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring. Very difficult. Root cuttings in late autumn or winter.
Edible Uses: Could not be found anywhere.
Medicinal Uses: The roots are decongestant and depurative. They are used in the treatment of consumption with haemorrhage.
Other Uses: The plant repels moths. The root is a source of tannin. Landscape Uses:Border, Hedge, Screen, Superior hedge. Succeeds in light dry soils. Tolerates maritime exposure. A good bee plant. Special Features: Not North American native, Invasive, Naturalizing, Attractive flowers or blooms.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limonium
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Limonium+vulgare
