Thrift:
Thrift has beautiful pink flowers and is commonly found along salt marshes and cliffs. It can cope very well with the salty seaside conditions as well as drought. It is a highly poisonous plant.
Bindweed:
To help defend against being blown away by the wind, a lot of the seaside plants will have very deep root systems. For example, the attractive white flowered sea bindweed has a very big root system that entwines itself around other plants. This plant is very common on shingle beaches, where the pebbles are constantly being moved by the sea.
Gallery
Thrift plant
©Zoë Devlin www.wildflowersofireland.net
©Zoë DevlinThrift plant - ©Zoë Devlin
Sea bindweed
©Jenny Seawright
Sea bindweed - ©Jenny Seawright
Ragwort
English Name: Ragwort Botanical Name (Latin): Senecio jacobaea Irish Name: Buachalán buí Order: DIOTYLEDONES Family: ASTERACEAE (COMPOSITAE) Brief Description: Perennial herb, erect, to 1m tall; leaves deeply divided, all lobes roughly the same size, lowest leaves withering by flowering time; flower-heads to 2.5cm across, with rays, bright yellow, in dense clusters.
Carsten KriegerRagwort - Carsten Krieger
Sea aster
©Jenny Seawright
Sea aster - ©Jenny Seawright
Sea ivory
Copyright John Kennedy
Sea ivory - Copyright John Kennedy
Ragwort:
Ragwort is a member of the daisy family with yellow flower heads. It grows in sand dunes along the coast, as well as ditches and fields across the country. The leaves and flowers are highly poisonous to animals. It is called ragwort because the plant’s leaves appear very ragged looking.
Sea aster:
The sea aster, which looks quite like a big daisy, grows along salt marshes. It has adapted itself to absorb water from coastal soil and seawater that is very high in salt. The thick, fleshy leaves of the sea aster can also store a lot of water and can survive dry periods. Plants that do not usually grow along the coast would not survive these conditions.
Sea ivory:
Sea ivory is a type of sea lichen that grows on rocks along the coast. Their clusters of thin branches sprout out from the rocks. They are greenish-grey in colour and can be quite brittle and easy to break. Sea ivory does not hold onto water very well, but has adapted to absorb enough water from the atmosphere when it is very humid.
The sea aster, which looks quite like a big daisy, grows along salt marshes. It has adapted itself to absorb water from coastal soil and seawater that is very high in salt. The thick, fleshy leaves of the sea aster can also store a lot of water and can survive dry periods. Plants that do not usually grow along the coast would not survive these conditions.
Sea ivory:
Sea ivory is a type of sea lichen that grows on rocks along the coast. Their clusters of thin branches sprout out from the rocks. They are greenish-grey in colour and can be quite brittle and easy to break. Sea ivory does not hold onto water very well, but has adapted to absorb enough water from the atmosphere when it is very humid.