DESCRIPTION

Canary Island daisy, Beach daisy, sea aster, or gold coin daisy is from 2 to 20 cm tall, erect, and padded with rough texture and trichomes. It is a shrub-like plant with wooden base, and, usually, plenty of branches, which grow upwards and cover large surface. Its leaves are small, green and pointed. They can be succulent. Its flowers are composite, like in daisies. They are many on each plant. Fruit is flat with a pair of wings so they could be transported by wind.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

It lives in rocky places, on cliffs, pebbles and stones. They also live in scrubland, on dry stony or sandy soils, in cracks, old stone buildings in mild or semi-arid climate zones. It can bear long ours in sunlight, strong winds, seasonal drought and salty soil. It is relatively resistant to frost.

HOW THEY LIVE

Considering the rough conditions in which these plants live, they can adapt to long periods of draught, strong winds and high levels of salinity. Their paddy shape is a consequence to their adaptation to strong wind at the cliffs. Their succulent leaves help them store water and survive dry summer periods with almost no rain on almost completely dry ground.

WHERE THEY CAN BE SEEN IN MÁLAGA

On the coast of Málaga, these plants can be found at places with rocks, cliffs, overhangs and stony ground. They are more frequent on the eastern coast (Axarquia), as there are a lot of areas like these.

INTERESTING FACTS

Their environmental value lies in the community they form on Málaga coast, which is also inhabited by Limoniummalacitanum. Both species stretch from Torremolinos up to Maro in Nerja, and make a Habitat of European Interest, named 'Sea cliffs with Limonium spp.' by the EU.

SIMILAR SPECIES

This species is usually not confused with other species at cliffs or in areas with stones and pebbles, but there its flowers looks like thinner but similar flowers of Pallenisspinosa, although the latter one does not live on so salty and dry soils as Asteriscusmaritimus.