Eryngium maritimum
Sea holly | |
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File:Mikołajek nadmorski RB1.jpg | |
Sea holly, shore of Mediterranean Sea near mouth of Dalyan River, Turkey | |
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E. maritimum
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Eryngium maritimum |
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Eryngium maritimum, the sea holly or seaside eryngo, is a species of Eryngium in the plant family Apiaceae and native to most European coastlines. It resembles a plume thistle in that its flower is burr-shaped, but the flowers are metallic blue rather than mauve. Protected from winds this dune plant grows to a height of 20 to 60 cm. Although widespread, it is considered endangered in many areas, such as Germany where its occurrence has been greatly reduced throughout and has become locally extinct in several districts.
In Elizabethan times in England, these plants were believed to be a strong aphrodisiac. They are named in a speech by Falstaff:
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"Let the sky rain potatoes;
let it thunder to the tune of Green-sleeves,
hail kissing-comfits and snow eringoes [sea-holly],
let there come a tempest of provocation..."— Falstaff, Act 5, scene v, "The Merry Wives of Windsor", William Shakespeare
Sea holly was nominated the 2002 County flower for the city of Liverpool.Liverpool#Trivia
References
This article is based on a translation of an article from the German Wikipedia
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eryngium maritimum. |
- Plants for a Future—PFAF Plant Database: Eryngium maritimum (Sea Holly)
- (German) Further information and images
- Den virtuelle floran: Distribution
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Illustration Eryngium maritimum0.jpg
Illustration
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Eryngium maritimum 2.jpg
Flowers, Meia Praia beach, Lagos, Portugal
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Eryngium maritimum 1.jpg
Whole plant, Meia Praia beach, Lagos, Portugal
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Mikolajek nadmorski R51 ubt.jpeg
Picture taken in Rewa, Poland, 2005
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Eryngium maritimum MHNT.BOT.2008.1.8.jpg
Eryngium maritimum - MHNT