Sea Holly

Did you know

• In Elizabethan England, the candied roots known as eryngoes were considered aphrodisiacs and Shakespeare referenced them in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
• Its thick waxy leaves and deep taproot allow it to survive in the harsh, shifting sands of coastal dunes.
• Sea holly is an important sand-stabilizing plant that helps prevent coastal erosion.
• The entire plant has a striking metallic blue-silver appearance that makes it look almost artificial.
• It has become increasingly rare along European coastlines due to habitat loss and is protected in several countries.

Color meanings

Uses

• coastal gardens
• dried arrangements
• xeriscaping
• erosion control