Limonium sinuatum (L.) Miller

 

=Statice sinuatum

 

Plumbaginaceae (Leadwort Family)

 

Mediterranean Area

 

Statice 

 

Winged Sea-Lavender 

                                   June Photo                          

 

Plant Characteristics: Rough-hairy perennial or biennial; lvs. basal, lyrate-pinnatifid with rounded lobes and sinuses, the terminal lobes bearing a bristle, the blades 3-12 cm. long, short-petioled; scapes corymbosely panicled, 1.5-4 dm. high, winged, the wings ending in foliose lance-linear appendages 1-4 cm. long; calyx blue to white, funnelform, ca. 1 cm. long; petals yellowish-white.

 

Habitat:  Beaches and coastal marshes, San Diego and Los Angeles cos. and farther n.  June-Oct.  My observations are that this plant blooms earlier than stated in Munz.

 

Name:  See L. californicum for origin of genus name.  Latin, sinuose, intricately to bend.  (Jaeger 239).   Probably referring to the pinnate leaf margins.

 

General:  Found only in Big Canyon where it probably was introduced when the fresh water pond was created in 1984; a considerable colony exits there.  Earth from the marsh basin was hydromulched or seeded in some manner with various species of Atriplex, Encelia and one non-native Atriplex that was finally identified in 2003.  (my comments).       Delfina Cuero, a Kumeyaay or Southern Diegueno Indian, made the following comments about Limonium sinuatum, in her autobiography:  "We boil the leaves for a tea to take for diarrhea.  Generally we saw the one with blue flowers instead of white like this."  (Shipek 92).       About 150 species, worldwide, often in saline soils.  (Hickman, Ed. 822).

 

Text Ref:  Bailey 787; Hickman, Ed. 822; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 637; Roberts 32.

Photo Ref:  Mar 4 85 # 21; April-May 85 # 11; May 1 87 # 10.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.

First Found:  March 1985.

 

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 249.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 11/26/04.  

 

                                   March Photo                                                                       June Photo