Armeria maritima, (Miller) Willd.

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1972, Flora Europaea. Volume 3. Diapensiacea to Myoporaceae, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press : 32

1. A. maritima (Miller) Willd. , Enum. Pl. Hort. Berol. 333 (1809).

Herb, or sometimes a dwarf shrub; stock shortly branched. Leaves linear to linear-spathulate, obtuse, muticous, with very narrow scarious margins, flat. Scapes straight or arcuate only at base. Sheath 1 O-2O(-3O) mm. Capitula 10- 30 mm wide; outer involucral bracts more or less acuminatesubulate, mucronate or shortly cuspidate, usually with narrow scarious margins; inner scarious or almost so. Spikelet-bract almost as long as or longer than calyx. Calyx 5-10 mm; tube pubescent, or hirsute only on ribs; awns absent or up to 1 mm. Most of Europe, but absent from much of the south-east and many of the islands. Al Au Be Br Bu Cz Da Fa Fe Ga Ge Hb He Hs Hu Is It Ju Lu No Po Rm Rs (N, B, C) Su.

A. maritima , even in the present restricted sense, is the most polymorphic species of the genus. The following eight subspecies can usually be readily distinguished.

1 Capitula not more than 15(—17) mm wide 2 Leaves 0-7-1 - 8 mm wide; scapes not more than 30 cm (e) subsp. halleri 2 Leaves 2-3(-4) mm wide; scapes 40-60 cm (h) subsp. barcensis 1 Capitula more than 15 mm wide 3 Outer involucral bracts usually at least as long as the inner, long-acuminate-subulate or shortly cuspidate to acute 4 Leaves linear, usually ciliate (d) subsp. elongata 4 Leaves linear-spathulate, not or sparsely ciliate (c) subsp. miscella 3 Outerinvolucral bractsshorterthantheinner,mucronate 5 Leaves mostly at least 2 mm wide (g) subsp. alpina 5 Leaves not more than 2 mm wide 6 Corolla purplish (f) subsp. purpurea 6 Corolla pinkish or white 7 Leaves 40-120(-l 80) x 0-8-1 -2 mm, ± linear (a) subsp. maritima 7 Leaves 3O-5O(-8O) x 1 - 5-2 mm, linear-spathulate (b) subsp. sibirica