Limonium californicum (Boiss.) A.A. Heller =Statice californicum Plumbaginaceae (Leadwort Family) Native Sea Lavender California Marsh-Rosemary

                           September Photo

Plant Characteristics: Perennial, with caudex heavy, woody, reddish; lvs. oblong to oblong-ovate, mostly obtuse, the blades 5-20 cm. long, tapering into petioles ca. as along; scape stout, 2-5 dm. high, loosely paniculate, with branches densely fld. at tips with small secund stipes 1-3 cm. long; fls. ca. 5-6 mm. long, and 2 mm. wide; calyx obconic, the ribs pubescent to above the middle, lobes whitish, deltoid-ovate, ca. 0.6 mm. long, acutish; petals pale violet, oblong, slightly exceeding calyx.

All of the authors except Mason describe the leaves as above.  Mason describes a much smaller leaf 4-8 cm long, with obtuse, obovate to oblong-spatulate blades, tapering to a petiole about as long as the blade.

My observation is that the blades of the smaller-leaved plants are more pointed and mucronate, not obtuse as described by Mason.  The smaller-leaved plants grow in dense clusters while the larger variety are much more open, although still in clusters.  Both types grow adjacent to each other at North Star Beach and along Back Bay Drive across from the electric substation.  Both types apparently are included in Limonium californicum. 

There are also differences in the flowers; the sepal tips of the small-leaved plants are broad and rounded, while in the large-leaved plants they are toothed.  In the small-leaved plants the rib of the sepal is pink at the upper end and colorless otherwise; in the large-leaved plants the rib of the sepal is green edged, otherwise colorless.

Habitat:  Coastal Salt Marsh, Coastal Strand; San Diego Co. to n. Calif.  Below 50 m.  July-Dec.

Name:  Greek, Leimonion, supposedly from leimon, a marsh.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 637).  Californicum indicates that the species was first found in California.  (Dale 13).

General:  Very common in the study area.  Photographed on North Star Beach, at Big Canyon and along Back Bay Dr. from San Joaquin Hills Dr. to Big Canyon.  (my comments).       One of the native halophytes listed as occurring in Upper Newport Bay. (Zedler 16).  See Spartina foliosa for the complete list.  See my notes with the plant description above (my comment).     Sea lavender, Limonium californicum, is the showiest of the southern California halophytes.  Inflorescences up to a meter tall rise from a basal rosette of broad, spatulate leaves.  Hundreds of tiny lavender flowers appear and dry on the stalks, much like its ornamental relative Statice.  Of the species that actively secrete salt, sea lavender is perhaps the most conspicuous.  There is usually a crust of salt crystals on the underside of the leaves, and at times whole leaves are white from the dried brine.  Sea Lavender reproduces both vegetatively and by seed, and given sufficient time, can become abundant along artificial dikes or bare ridges.  (Zedler 30).          Salt  excreting  species  include  Spartina  foliosa, Monanthochloe littoralis, Distichlis spicata, Frankenia salina and Limonium californicum.  (Zedler 51).      Found in upper Big Canyon in 1992 where it was probably introduced, along with L. sinuatum, to reseed the area after it was graded to create the fresh water pond. The upper Big Canyon variety is the small-leaved one described above.  It is surprising to find it in a fresh water environment. (my comments).     Delfina Cuero, a Kumeyaay or Southern Diegueno Indian, made the following comments about Limonium californicum in her autobiography:  "We boiled the young leaves to eat as vegetables.  The leaves also can be dried and stored, they keep well for future use."  (Shipek 92).       Almost 200 spp., of wide distribution, often along the seaside.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 673).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 822; Munz, Calif. Flora 410; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 637; Roberts 32.

Photo Ref:  Dec 2 82 # 16,22; July 2 83 #13; June-July 93 #15; Sept 97 # 5A; June-July 03 # 10A.

Identity: by R. De Ruff.

First Found:  December 1982.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 247.

No plant specimen.

Last edit 5/4/05.  

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