Short Description
Sea thrift can grow up to 50 cm high.
The grass-like leaves are narrowly linear and have one or seldom three parallel veins. They are somewhat hairy and grow in a rosette close to the base.
The stem grows erect and is glabrous. There are no leaves on the stem.
The small, pink flowers grow together as a terminal, round flower head. The flower head is surrounded by several membranous bracts.
The fruit is a small nut.
Features
Sea thrift
Armeria maritima
round pink flower head
leafless stem
In the city
Because of its high tolerance to salt and heavy metals, it often grows in the city on the edges of salt-strewn roads and on areas contaminated with heavy metals. However, it also occurs on patchy sandy dry grasslands. It prefers dry, acidic and sandy soils.
Fun Facts
It is a protected species.
It can absorb heavy metals from the soil and store them in the leaves.
It has special glands on the leaf surfaces that can excrete salt.
The flowering period is from May to November.
The flowers are pollinated by insects.
In Berlin only the subspecies Armeria maritima ssp. elongata grows. It is rather rare, but you can find it for example on the Tempelhofer Feld.
It lives for several years and generally flowers and fruits annually (perennial plant).
- Endangerment level Germany: Warning list
It is scattered throughout the northern and southern hemispheres. It is even found in parts of Antarctica and Greenland.
It contains the plant poison plumbagin. It has a strong irritating effect.
Sources
Habitus, Christian Fischer, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ArmeriaMaritimaElongata(1).jpg
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Blütenstand, Christian Fischer, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ArmeriaMaritimaElongata(2).jpg
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Habitus, Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Armeria_elongata_sl12.jpg
Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.
Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.
Page „Strand-Grasnelke“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 16.08.2017, 17:48 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Strand-Grasnelke&oldid=168208220 (Accessed: 02.01.2018).