Carolina Sea Lavender is a native showy perennial in late summer of brackish or salt marshes and flats, coastal beaches, marshes, intertidal, subtidal or the open ocean of easter North America. It has been used for making wreaths but this practice can deplete populations of this slow-growing plant. The showy flowers are blue to purple with white bracts that often last longer than the flower. It is very wet soil and salt tolerant. This plant grows in clay, loam or sandy tidal marshes in full sun to partial shade in well-drained soils. More information on Limonium .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Leathery
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves are simple, basal with entire margins. Leaves ovate, 7-8 inches long, green, leathery, hairy, forming a rosette at the bottom of the main stem.
Flower color
Purple/Lavender; White
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The flowers are very small, purple with white sepals, sepals may remain after the flower is gone. Blooms in clusters July to Aug.
Bloom time
Summer
Stem color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
The stem is erect, green to redish, stiff, highly branched with alternating secondary stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern Canada, east coast of U.S.A., Mexico
Distribution
AL , CT , DE , FL , GA , LA , MA , MD , ME , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , RI , SC , TX , VA Canada: NB , NL , NS , PE , QC
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Uses (ethnobotany)
Used in making wreaths. The roots contain tannin and are powerfully astringent. A decoction of the root has long been used as a popular domestic remedy for diarrhea, dysentery, etc and is also used to treat sore mouths, cankers, etc. The dried and powdered root is applied to old ulcers or piles.