Wikimedia Commons
Apiaceae
Sea Holly
Eryngium maritimum
Independence, attraction, severity.
- Family
- Apiaceae
- Genus
- Eryngium
- Native to
- Coastal Europe, Mediterranean
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- Herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 30–90 cm
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Sandy, sharply drained
- Water
- Low; drought-tolerant
- Hardiness
- 4–9
- Lifespan
- Long-lived perennial
Did you know
- Sea holly stems and bracts turn an almost metallic electric blue at peak bloom — one of the truest natural blues in the plant world.
- Despite the name and look, it's not a holly at all — it's a relative of carrots, parsley, and Queen Anne's lace.
- Candied sea holly roots, called 'eringoes', were a famous Tudor delicacy — Falstaff in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor calls for them as an aphrodisiac.
- It thrives in the harshest sand-dune conditions where almost nothing else can survive, anchoring shorelines with deep taproots.
- The dried flowers hold their color and architectural form indefinitely, making them prized for everlasting bouquets.
Color meanings
Blue
Stoic beauty