Plant Of The Month (June)
Limonium emarginatum (Gibraltar Sea-Lavender/The Strait Evergreen)
Limonium emarginatum (the strait evergreen/Gibraltar sea-lavender), is a narrow-range endemic limited to the areas surrounding the straits of Gibraltar. It has a very long flowering period from March/April to September/October and keeps its foliage all throughout the autumn/winter period– hence the word "evergreen" in one of its common names.
The genus Limonium contains 120 plant species known as the "sea lavenders" but, despite their common name, they are not related to true Lavanders which are in the genus Lavandula (Lamiaceae, Mint Family). Limonium is in the Plumbaginaceae, Plumbago/Leadwort family– for some interesting context: it's in the same family as Plumbago auriculata, a common non-native/invasive garden plant in Gibraltar.
Limonium emarginatum grows in pulviniform ("pillow-shaped") clumps, 25-50cm in diameter, and sends out erect stems of up to 80cm in length. It has a specific preference for saline conditions and a slightly acidic substrate (sandstone remnants)– in the image above you can see it growing directly from a crevice on a limestone cliff above Little/Rosia Bay, an area that is exposed to constant salt spray. Its salt-tolerance and long-lasting/vibrant flowers makes it ideal for growing in a coastal mediterranean rockery garden. However, as noted by research, it appears to germinate most readily in fresh water conditions.
In the Nature Protection Act of 1991, Limonium emarginatum is listed as a schedule 3 species and is therefore highly protected. Its primary threat is being outcompeted by Carpobrotus edulis (hottentot-fig, a highly invasive plant that is native to South Africa).
References
Susana Redondo-Gómez, Enrique Mateos Naranjo, Orlando Garzón, Jesús M. Castle, Teresa Luque, M. Enrique Figueroa. 2008. Effects of Salinity on Germination and Seedling Establishment of Endangered Limonium emarginatum (Willd.) O. Kuntze. Journal of Coastal Research 24, 1:201-05 doi:10.2112/05-0617.1
https://floraofgibraltar.myspecies.info
A close-up photo of its individual flowers– about 8mm across, five delicate petals with prominent mid-veins, violet to pink.
A close-up photo of its basal leaves– coriaceous (i.e. leathery), emarginate (with a slight indentation on the tip), spathulate.