''Armeria welwitschii'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the thrift family (

Plumbaginaceae Plumbaginaceae is a family of flowering plants, with a cosmopolitan distribution. The family is sometimes referred to as the leadwort family or the plumbago family. Most species in this family are perennial herbaceous plants, but a few grow ...

), endemic to central coastal

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. It is often cultivated as an ornamental in rock gardens.

Description

''Armeria welwitschii'' is a perennial evergreen subshrub up to in height. It has numerous aerial branches, covered with dry leaves. It has lanceolate leaves that reach up to long by wide. Its pods are reddish, scapes are long and sometimes pubescent. The flower calyx is and has pink to white, sometimes purple flower petals. 2n=18; n=9. It flowers between February and May.

Distribution and habitat

''Armeria welwitschii'' grows in sand dunes and coastal cliffs on sandy or rocky soils from

Cabo Mondego Cabo Mondego is a cape located in central western Portugal bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It is the westernmost point of the Serra da Boa Viagem and is located three kilometers north of Figueira da Foz Figueira da Foz (), also known as Figueir ...

south to Cascais in central coastal Portugal. It lives in frost-free Mediterranean climates in its native habitat but can tolerate USDA hardiness zone 6. Armeria welwitschii? (12745079443).jpg Armeria welwitschii.jpg Armeria welwitschii (21575928335).jpg

References

welwitschii Endemic flora of Portugal Endemic flora of the Iberian Peninsula {{Caryophyllales-stub