Limonium californicum
Encyclopedia
Limonium californicum is a species of sea lavender known by the common names western marsh rosemary and California sea lavender.
It is native to western North America from Oregon
to Baja California
, with occasional sightings in Nevada
and Arizona
. It is a plant of coastal habitat such as beaches, salt marsh
es, and coastal prairie, and other sandy saline and alkaline habitat such as playa
s.
. The thick, leathery leaves are oval in shape and up to about 30 centimeters long including the petioles
, located in a basal rosette about the stem. The inflorescence
is a stiff, branching panicle no more than about 35 centimeters tall bearing large clusters of flowers. The flowers have brownish white ribbed sepal
s and lavender to nearly white petals.
It is native to western North America from Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
to Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, with occasional sightings in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. It is a plant of coastal habitat such as beaches, salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es, and coastal prairie, and other sandy saline and alkaline habitat such as playa
Dry lake
Dry lakes are ephemeral lakebeds, or a remnant of an endorheic lake. Such flats consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts. Dry lakes are also referred to as alkali flats, sabkhas, playas or mud flats...
s.
Description
This is a tough perennial herb growing from a woody rhizomeRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
. The thick, leathery leaves are oval in shape and up to about 30 centimeters long including the petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
, located in a basal rosette about the stem. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a stiff, branching panicle no more than about 35 centimeters tall bearing large clusters of flowers. The flowers have brownish white ribbed sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and lavender to nearly white petals.