''Armeria'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s. These plants are sometimes known as "lady's cushion", "thrift", or "sea pink" (the latter because as they are often found on coastlines). The genus counts over a hundred
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
, mostly native to the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
, although ''
Armeria maritima'' is an exception, being distributed along the coasts of the Northern Hemisphere, including Ireland, parts of the United Kingdom such as Cornwall, and the
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park () is a National Parks of England and Wales, national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales.
It was established as a National Park in 1952. It is one of the three National parks of Wales, the others ...
in Wales.
Some are popular with
gardeners as
rockery
A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small ...
plants.
During the Second World War, the UK "thruppenny bit" coin (3 old pence), which had featured a portcullis on its reverse side, changed to a depiction of the thrift plant, as a means of reminding the population of the need to avoid waste and practise thrift. After the war, it reverted to the portcullis
; Some species and subspecies
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Armeria alliacea ''
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Armeria alpina ''
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Armeria arenaria ''
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Armeria berlengensis''
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Armeria caespitosa ''
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Armeria cariensis''
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Armeria duriaei''
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Armeria gaditana''
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Armeria girardii''
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Armeria juniperifolia''
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Armeria leucocephala''
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Armeria maritima'' (sea thrift, sea cushion, sea pink)
**''A. maritima'' subsp. ''andina''
**''A. maritima'' subsp. ''californica''
**''A. maritima'' subsp. ''elongata''
**''A. maritima'' subsp. ''maritima''
**''A. maritima'' subsp. ''sibirica''
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Armeria nebrodensis''
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Armeria pinifolia ''
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Armeria pseudarmeria ''
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Armeria pubigera''
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Armeria pungens ''
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Armeria rumelica ''
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Armeria sardoa ''
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Armeria splendens ''
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Armeria undulata ''
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Armeria villosa ''
**''Armeria villosa'' subsp. ''longearistata ''
**''Armeria villosa'' subsp. ''villosa ''
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Armeria welwitschii''
References
Bibliography
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{{Authority control
Plumbaginaceae genera