Armeria maritima

With its knob of pink flowers erecting from the top of a green stem, thrift looks nothing like the abundant purple flower head of the sea lavender. Nevertheless, both species fall under the leadwort family. Thrift, also called sea pink, flowers for a long period of time, from May till late summer. When it's not flowering, you hardly take note of the plant, since its thin leaves form a flat rosette on the ground. It is a salt-tolerant plant found in salt marshes together with sea lavender. However it is not limited to salty areas. You also find it on the typical grass walls (tuinwallen) on Texel. Cultivated forms of thrift are popular garden plants and as dried flowers.

Thrift is a perennial species, and flowers each year between April and October (6). The fragrant flowers are visited by a range of flying insects for nectar and pollen (3). There is a very old belief that thrift can cure lead poisoning; this is reflected by the family name of Plumbaginaceae (5).

Thrift or sea-pink is a familiar coastal plant. It forms compact cushions, and has attractive deep pink or occasionally white flowers (5). The flowers have five petals, and occur in groups at the top of a flower spike (known as an inflorescence), which is surrounded by the narrow leaves. The leaves have just a single vein, and often have hairs along the edges; they arise from a visible woody rootstock, which forms the cushions (2). The name 'thrift' is thought to refer to the leaves, which are tightly packed together and conserve water in the salty air (5).

 A perennial flower with a corolla consisting of five petals that are joined at the base with five stamens and five separate styles. The leaves form rosettes at the base of the stalk and the fruit capsule contains only a single seed. The leaves of Armeria maritima are narrow and numerous, and usually have hairs along their margins. The leaves surround a stalk that rises, unbranched terminating in a dense inflorescence of usually pink flowers. Often seen, and easy to identify in the absence of flowers. The rootstock is woody and easily seen under the leaves.Armeria maritima includes two sub species, Armeria maritima ssp. elongata and Armeria maritima ssp. maritima. These subspecies are synonymous with Statice elongata or Armeria elongata, and Armeria pubescens or Armeria maritima ssp. planifolia respectively. The subspecies can be differentiated by the form of the stems, pubescent (with hairs) or glabrous (hairless) respectively.

Armeria maritima (Mill.) Willd.:
Canada (North America)
Greenland (North America)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

This species is endemic to northern and central Portugal (Serra da Estrela). Its area of occupancy is less than 1,600 km² (Commission of the European Communities 2009).

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

Belgium, IJzer Estuary, United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone, Wimereux

Global Range: Widesprad in arctic habitats, with isolated occurrences in temperate areas and South America.

Thrift is found around all of the coasts of Britain. It is often planted in gardens, and occurs as a garden escape in some areas (4). Elsewhere it has a wide distribution throughout the northern hemisphere (3).

Rootstock erect. Leaf blades 1-15 cm × 0.5-3 mm, base 1- or ± 3-veined, faces glabrous or hairy. Scapes erect, 2-60 cm, glabrous or hairy. Inflorescences: invo-lucral sheath 5-32 mm; outermost involucral bract ovate to triangular-lanceolate, 4-14 mm, shorter than, equaling, or exceeding head, mucronate or not; heads 13-28 mm diam. Flowers monomorphic, with all stigmas papillate and pollen reticulate, or dimorphic, with papillate stigmas and finely reticulate pollen or smooth stigmas and coarsely reticulate pollen; calyx tube hairy on and between ribs (holotrichous), on ribs only (pleurotrichous), or glabrous (atrichous); teeth triangular to shallowly triangular, awned or not; corolla pink to white; petals showy and exceeding calyx or reduced and included in calyx. 2n = 18.

Statice maritima Miller, Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Statice no. 3. 1768

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial

Depth range based on 28 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 6 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 0
  Temperature range (°C): 11.768 - 11.855
  Nitrate (umol/L): 5.063 - 7.121
  Salinity (PPS): 35.184 - 35.334
  Oxygen (ml/l): 6.069 - 6.138
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.336 - 0.439
  Silicate (umol/l): 2.448 - 3.285

Graphical representation

Temperature range (°C): 11.768 - 11.855

Nitrate (umol/L): 5.063 - 7.121

Salinity (PPS): 35.184 - 35.334

Oxygen (ml/l): 6.069 - 6.138

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.336 - 0.439

Silicate (umol/l): 2.448 - 3.285
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Comments: Shores and tundra.

 Armeria maritima is found on coasts, cliffs and salt marshes as well as inland on mountain ledges in Britain and Ireland.

Inhabits sea-cliffs, shingle, saltmarshes and stone walls close to the coast. Further inland it can be found up to heights of 1280m on rocky mountain ledges, moss-heaths, on shingle by rivers, and at old lead workings. It may also occur alongside roads that have been treated with salt (4).

Foodplant / sap sucker
adult of Beosus maritimus sucks sap of Armeria maritima

Plant / resting place / on
adult of Cryptocephalus fulvus may be found on Armeria maritima
Remarks: season: 5-10

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / saprobe
scattered or in 2's & 3's, immersed pycnidium of Phomopsis coelomycetous anamorph of Phomopsis armeriae is saprobic on dead peduncle of Armeria maritima
Remarks: season: 4

Foodplant / feeds on
larva of Sibinia sodalis feeds on Armeria maritima

Foodplant / parasite
telium of Uromyces armeriae parasitises live Armeria maritima
Other: major host/prey

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 6
Specimens with Barcodes: 9
Species With Barcodes: 1

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N4 - Apparently Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Reasons: Widespread circumpolar with thousands of occurrences along northern seashores.

Widespread and common (4).

Population

Population Trend

Major Threats

This species is not threatened.

Conservation Actions

Conservation action is not needed.