Armeria maritima

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Ordo: Caryophyllales

Familia: Plumbaginaceae
Subfamilia: Limonioideae
Tribus: Limonieae
Genus: Armeria
Species: Armeria maritima
Subspecies: A. m. subsp. andina – A. m. subsp. californica – A. m. subsp. elongata – A. m. subsp. halleri – A. m. subsp. maritima – A. m. subsp. purpurea – A. m. subsp. sibirica
Name

Armeria maritima Willd.
References

Enum. pl. 1:333. 1809
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. [1]

Vernacular names
català: Gasó alpí
čeština: trávnička přímořská
Cymraeg: Clustog Fair
dansk: Almindelig Engelskgræs, Engelskgræs
Deutsch: Strand-Grasnelke, Sand-Grasnelke, Gewöhnliche Grasnelke, Gemeine Grasnelke
English: thrift, sea pink, sea thrift, sea cushion, marsh daisy
español: clavelina de mar, armeria, césped, césped francés, clavel de playas, dengue, denguecillos, erizo de la sierra, estatice-erizo, gazón
euskara: Itsas krabelin
فارسی: آرمریا ماریتیما
suomi: Rusolaukkaneilikka, laukkaneilikka
Nordfriisk: Hongerkral
français: Armérie Maritime, Œillet Marin, Gazon d'Olympe, Gazon d'Espagne, Armerie maritime, statice
galego: Herba de namorar, Herba empreñadeira
hornjoserbsce: Wšědna dychnička, Suchi nalik
íslenska: Geldingahnappur
lietuvių: Pajūrinė gvaizdė
norsk bokmål: Strandnellik, Fjørekoll, Fjærkollen, Fjærekoll, Fjærekollen
Nederlands: Engels Gras
norsk nynorsk: Fjørekoll, Statice armeria, Armeria vulgaris, Strandnellik
polski: Zawciąg pospolity
português: estancadeira, relva-de-espanha, relva-do-olimpo
русский: Армерия приморская
slovenčina: trávnička prímorská
slovenščina: Navadni pečnik
svenska: Trift, Gräsnejlika, Mellantrift, Islandstrift, Fjälltrift, Strandtrift, Backtrift
українська: Армерія покутська
中文: 海石竹

Armeria maritima, the thrift, sea thrift or sea pink, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plumbaginaceae. It is a compact evergreen perennial which grows in low clumps and sends up long stems that support globes of bright pink flowers. In some cases purple, white or red flowers also occur. It is a popular garden flower and has been distributed worldwide as a garden and cut flower. It does well in gardens designed as xeriscapes or rock gardens. The Latin specific epithet maritima means pertaining to the sea or coastal.[2]

Subspecies

Armeria maritima subsp. azorica, Franco[3]
Armeria maritima subsp. californica, synonym: California Seapink[4][5]
Armeria maritima subsp. elongata, synonym: Tall Thrift, Gaston Bonnier.[6]
Armeria maritima subsp. maritima[7]
Armeria maritima subsp. purpurea, synonym: Armeria purpurea W.D.J.Koch, (W.D.J.Koch) Á.Löve and D.Löve[8]
Armeria maritima subsp. sibirica, synonym: Siberian Sea Thrift, Turczaninow ex Boissier[9][10]

Distribution and habitat
Armeria maritima californica at Pescadero State Beach in California.

Armeria maritima sensu lato has a circumpolar distribution can be found in the wild in coastal areas across the Northern Hemisphere.[11] It can grow in dry, sandy, saline conditions such as coastal cliffs, grassland and salt marshes, salted roadsides and inland on mountain rocks.[12]: 434 [13]: 70  It is a common sight in British salt marshes, where it flowers April to October.[14]

Armeria maritima has a great copper-tolerance, and is able to grow in soils with copper concentrations of up to 6400 mg/kg. One mechanism proposed is that not much copper is transported up the shoot of the plant, and is excreted from decaying leaves.[15] Some of the physiology and metabolism of this species has been described, of particular note is how the metabolism of this species is altered with elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.[16]
Ecology

Pollination is by various insects including bees and Lepidoptera.
Conservation

Armeria maritima is a common species in the UK, however there are several subspecies and in England, subspecies elongata (Tall Thrift) has vulnerable conservation status and is designated as a species of principal importance for biodiversity conservation under the NERC Act (2006).
Cultivation

The cultivar 'Vindictive' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [17]
In popular culture
A 1943 threepence (British coin)

The British threepence coin issued between 1937 and 1952 had a design of thrift on the reverse. In British slang, thrifty means to have bought a lot for very little money and the phrase is though to be the reason why thrift was used as the emblem for the threepence coin (not worth very much money).[18][19]

As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity Plantlife chose sea thrift as the county flower of the Isles of Scilly.

Thrift was mentioned in Sir John Betjeman's poem 'A Bay in Anglesea'.

Pink Thrift was a memorable part of the description of Kirrin Castle around which many of the adventures of Enid Blyton's Famous Five took place: "The coarse green grass sprang everywhere, and pink thrift grew its cushions in holes and crannies."
References

The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species, retrieved 11 May 2016
"Armeria maritima - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
"Armeria maritima subsp. azorica Franco | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
"California Sea Pink, Armeria maritima ssp. californica". calscape.org. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
"Armeria maritima ssp. californica". Calflora.org. Archived from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
"Armeria maritima subsp. elongata (Hoffm.) Bonnier". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
"Armeria maritima subsp. maritima in Flora of North America". www.efloras.org. Archived from the original on 2006-06-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
"Armeria purpurea W.D.J.Koch". www.worldfloraonline.org. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center". www.wildflower.org. The University of Texas at Austin. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
"Armeria maritima subsp. sibirica in Flora of North America". www.efloras.org. Archived from the original on 2006-06-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
Anderberg, Arne. "Den Virtuella Floran: Trift, Armeria maritima Willd". Naturhistoriska riksmuseet, Stockholm. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
Stace, C. A. (2010). New Flora of the British Isles (Third ed.). Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521707725.
Blamey, M.; Fitter, R.; Fitter, A (2003). Wild flowers of Britain and Ireland: The Complete Guide to the British and Irish Flora. London: A & C Black. ISBN 978-1408179505.
Wildlife Trusts - Thrift
Brewin LE, Mehra A, Lynch PT, Farago ME (March 2003). "Mechanisms of copper tolerance by Armeria maritima in Dolfrwyong Bog, north Wales—initial studies" (PDF). Environ Geochem Health. 25 (1): 147–56. doi:10.1023/a:1021225721605. PMID 12901090. S2CID 36813793.
Davey, M. P.; Harmens, H.; Ashenden, T. W.; Edwards, R.; Baxter, R. (2007). "Species-specific effects of elevated CO2 on resource allocation in Plantago maritima and Armeria maritima". Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 35 (3): 121. doi:10.1016/j.bse.2006.09.004.
"Armeria maritima 'Vindictive'". www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
"thrift noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at". Oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
"Thrift on old three pence coin".