Sea Holly (Eryngium maritimum), Coastal Path
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DESCRIPTION
The sea holly or seaside eryngo is a perennial plant, as it gets dry and grow back. They are from 15 to 60 cm tall, green with white and bluish shades. They have a stiff branching stem, which grows from a wooden stem stump, it is whitish and bluish at the top. Basal leaves are rather hardened, not as long as wide, almost palm-shaped, with marked veins. They form three to five lobes which end in spines. The one in the middle is the narrowest. Flowers are bluish, grouped in thick clusters with spines.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
This species can only be found on the coast, sand and dunes where the wind is rather strong, but it is also far away from the waves, as it cannot bear being covered with water or in puddles for a long time, even though it tolerates salt very well. It is also resistant to strong wind and drought, which other species can hardly do.
HOW THEY LIVE
The Sea Holly has perennial underground organs, so its upper part gets dry every year after the seed gets spread, and the following spring it grows again from its underground part. It can usually be found on embryonic shifting dunes or semi-stable dunes, where the wind is not as strong.
WHERE THEY CAN BE SEEN IN MÁLAGA
It can be found all over the coast, although it is more common on western coast with more sandy heaps.
INTERESTING FACTS
These plants are natural diuretics. This is why they are highly recommended for treating swelling caused by excess fluid (edema). They can also be used for whetting one's appetite, as they have a bitter active ingredient.
SIMILAR SPECIES
It can be confused with other eryngos, like field eryngo or Watling Street thistle (Eryngiumcampestre), but it can hardly be taken for the other plant as it lives on the coast. There are no similar species that live on sandy soil.