Limonium.
Commonly known as Statice after the original genus name or Sea-lavender.
Plants of the World Online (Kew) accepts 606 species from Australia, Asia, Africa, North America and Europe.
Most are perennial herbs under 1 m high, there are some small shrubs and a few larger ones to 2 m high.
They grow from a taproot or a rhizome (underground stem) and may have a very short woody basal stem that is not obvious.
Leaves, with or without a petiole are alternately arranged.
Herbs typically have leaves in a tight basal rosette.
Other plants have stems, sometimes branched with a few to dense leaves.
Leaves are from 1 to 30 cm long and up to 10 cm wide.
The blades can be round, elliptic, oblong, obovate or spaptula-shaped.
Edges can be smooth, toothed or deeply divided.
They usually have a long tapering base and the tip can be round or pointed.
When the flowers are mature there are often no leaves.
Inflorescence stems or peduncles may have small bracts along them.
The commonly large branched terminal inflorescences (panicles) are often flat-topped (corymbs).
Corymbs have the lower flowers on each branch on a longer pedicel than the upper ones.
The ultimate branches or spikelets are arranged in 2 ranks.
The spikelets have 1 to 5 (or more) flowers all on the same side.
Branches have 2 or 3 (or more) bracts at the base.
Flowers may have no pedicel or a very short one with a small fleshy bracteole.
The calyx has a tubular to funnel-like base with 5 short triangular or oblong lobes.
There may be small teeth between the lobes or the whole rim may be irregular.
The tissue between the ribs is dry thin and membranous.
The calyx may have hairs and it remains on the fruit.
The corolla, up to 1 cm long has 5 petals.
They may be free with a narrow claw base, joined just at the base or form a short tube.
Most are pink, purple or violet with a few species having white or yellow petals.
The 5 stamens are typically attached to the base of the petals.
The anthers do not extend past the corolla.
The superior obovoid ovary, of 5 fused carpels has 1 locule.
The single ovule is attached to the base of the locule but on a long stalk so it hangs down.
The 5 hairless styles are free or joined just at the base.
The variously shaped stigmas may have prominent papillae or glands.
Fruit are a capsule surrounded by the calyx.
Capsules open irregularly, around the middle or apically.
The single long, narrow dark brown to black seed is slightly flattened.
J.F.
