View source for Biology:Limonium

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Limonium perezii 3.jpg
|image_caption = ''[[Biology:Limonium perezii|Limonium perezii]]'' at the San Francisco Botanical Garden
|taxon = Limonium
|authority = Mill.
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision = About 600 species; see text
}}

'''''Limonium''''' is a genus of about 600 flowering plant species. Members are also known as '''sea-lavender''', '''statice''', '''caspia''' or '''marsh-rosemary'''. Despite their common names, species are not related to the lavenders or to [[Biology:Rosemary|rosemary]]. They are instead in [[Biology:Plumbaginaceae|Plumbaginaceae]], the plumbago or leadwort family.
The generic name is from the Latin ''{{lang|la|līmōnion}}'', used by Pliny for a wild plant and is ultimately derived from the Ancient Greek ''{{transl|grc|leimon}}'' ({{lang|grc|λειμών}}, 'meadow').<ref>{{OED|limonium}}</ref>

==Distribution==
The genus has a [[Biology:Cosmopolitan distribution|subcosmopolitan]] distribution in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and North America. By far the greatest diversity (over 100 species) is in the area stretching from the Canary Islands east through the Mediterranean region to central Asia; for comparison, North America only has three native ''Limonium'' species.<ref>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=118606 Flora of North America]</ref>

==Description==
Sea-lavenders normally grow as herbaceous [[Biology:Perennial plant|perennial plant]]s, growing 10–70&nbsp;cm tall from a [[Biology:Rhizome|rhizome]]; a few (mainly from the Canary Islands) are woody [[Biology:Shrub|shrub]]s up to 2 metres tall. Many species flourish in [[Physics:Soil salinity|saline]] soils, and are therefore common near [[Earth:Coast|coast]]s and in [[Earth:Salt marsh|salt marsh]]es, and also on saline, [[Chemistry:Gypsum|gypsum]] and [[Chemistry:Alkaline|alkaline]] soils in continental interiors.

The [[Biology:Leaf|leaves]] are simple, entire to lobed, and from 1–30&nbsp;cm long and 0.5–10&nbsp;cm broad; most of the leaves are produced in a dense basal [[Biology:Rosette (botany)|rosette]], with the flowering stems bearing only small brown scale-leaves ([[Biology:Bract|bract]]s). The [[Biology:Flower|flower]]s are produced on a branched [[Biology:Panicle|panicle]] or [[Biology:Corymb|corymb]], the individual flowers are small (4–10&nbsp;mm long) with a five-lobed calyx and corolla, and five [[Biology:Stamen|stamen]]s; the flower colour is pink or violet to purple in most species, white or yellow in a few. Many of the species are [[Biology:Apomixis|apomictic]]. The fruit is a small [[Biology:Capsule (fruit)|capsule]] containing a single [[Biology:Seed|seed]], partly enclosed by the persistent calyx.

==Features==
Several species are popular garden flowers; they are generally known to gardeners as ''statices''. They are grown both for their flowers and for the appearance of the calyx, which remains on the plant after the true flowers have fallen, and are known as "everlasting flowers".

==Species==
There are about 600 species in the genus, many of them local endemic species with a very restricted range.<ref>{{cite journal |title=An expanded molecular phylogeny of Plumbaginaceae, with emphasis on ''Limonium'' (sea lavenders): Taxonomic implications and biogeographic considerations |year=2018 |last1=Koutroumpa |first1=Konstantina |last2=Theodoridis |first2=Spyros |last3=Warren |first3=Ben H. |last4=Jiménez |first4=Ares |last5=Celep |first5=Ferhat |last6=Doğan |first6=Musa |last7=Romeiras |first7=Maria M. |last8=Santos-Guerra |first8=Arnoldo |last9=Fernández-Palacios |first9=Jóse María |last10=Caujapé-Castells |first10=Juli |last11=Moura |first11=Mónica |last12=Menezes De Sequeira |first12=Miguel |last13=Conti |first13=Elena |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=8 |issue=24 |pages=12397–12424 |doi=10.1002/ece3.4553 |pmid=30619554 |pmc=6308857 |bibcode=2018EcoEv...812397K |s2cid=57573184 }}</ref> Species not given a common name here are generally referred to simply as "sea-lavender", "statice," or "marsh-rosemary".
*''Limonium aragonense'' (Monegros, endemic)
*''[[Biology:Limonium arboreum|Limonium arboreum]]'' (tree limonium or ''Statice arborca''; [[Earth:Tenerife|Tenerife]], endemic)
*''Limonium aureum'' (central Asia: Siberia, Mongolia, northwest China)
*''Limonium auriculaeursifolium'' (Alderney sea-lavender; southwest Europe, northwest Africa)
*''[[Biology:Limonium australe|Limonium australe]]'' (Australia)
*''[[Biology:Limonium bellidifolium|Limonium bellidifolium]]'' (matted sea-lavender; Europe, southwest Asia)
*''Limonium bicolor'' (Mongolia, northwest China)
*''[[Biology:Limonium binervosum|Limonium binervosum]]'' (rock sea-lavender; western Europe)
*''Limonium bourgaei'' ([[Earth:Lanzarote|Lanzarote]], endemic)
*''Limonium brassicifolium'' (Canary Islands, ''Statice brassicifolia'')
*''[[Biology:Limonium braunii|Limonium braunii]]'' (Cape Verde)
*''[[Biology:Limonium brunneri|Limonium brunneri]]'' (Cape Verde)
*''Limonium caesium'' (western Mediterranean)
*''[[Biology:Limonium californicum|Limonium californicum]]'' (California sea-lavender; western North America, Oregon to Baja California)
*''Limonium callianthum'' (western China: [[Place:Xinjiang|Xinjiang]])
*''Limonium cancelatum'' (eastern Mediterranean Croatia)
*''[[Biology:Limonium carolinianum|Limonium carolinianum]]'' (Carolina sea-lavender; eastern North America, Newfoundland to Bermuda, Florida and Tamaulipas; [[Biology:Synonym (taxonomy)|syn.]] ''L. angustatum, L. nashii'')
*''Limonium caspium'' (central Europe east to central Asia)
*''Limonium chrysocomum'' (central Asia)
*''Limonium confusum'' (western Mediterranean)
*''Limonium congestum'' (central Asia)
*''Limonium coralloides'' (central Asia)
*''Limonium cordatum'' (central Mediterranean)
*''[[Biology:Limonium cosyrense|Limonium cosyrense]]'' (eastern Mediterranean)
*''Limonium delicatulum'' (western Mediterranean)
*''Limonium dichroanthum'' (central Asia)
*''Limonium dielsianum'' (western China: Gansu, Qinghai)
*''Limonium dregeanum'' (Natal statice; South Africa)
*''Limonium echioides'' (Mediterranean)
*''[[Biology:Limonium emarginatum|Limonium emarginatum]]'' (southern Iberia, northern Morocco)
*''Limonium ferulaceum'' (western Mediterranean)
*''Limonium flexuosum'' (central Asia)
*''Limonium franchetii'' (east coastal China)
*''Limonium fruticans'' (Tenerife, endemic)
*''Limonium gmelinii'' (eastern Europe, northern Asia, Siberia)
*''Limonium gougetianum'' (western Mediterranean)
*''[[Biology:Limonium humile|Limonium humile]]'' (lax-flowered sea-lavender; northwest Europe)
*''Limonium imbricatum'' (Tenerife, endemic)
*''Limonium insigne'' (southeast Spain, endemic)
*''[[Biology:Limonium jovibarba|Limonium jovibarba]]'' (Cape Verde)
*''Limonium kaschgaricum'' (central Asia)
*''Limonium iranicum'' (Iran)<ref>Mozaffarian, V. 1996. A dictionary of Iranian plant names: Latin, English, Persian. Tehran: Farhang-e Moʻaser.</ref>
*''Limonium lacostei'' (western China, [[Place:Tibet|Tibet]], [[Place:Kashmir|Kashmir]])
*''Limonium leptolobum'' (central Asia)
*''Limonium leptostachyum'' (statice; central Asia)
*''[[Biology:Limonium lilacinum|Limonium lilacinum]]'' (central Turkey, endemic)
*''[[Biology:Limonium limbatum|Limonium limbatum]]'' (Transpecos sea-lavender; interior southwest United States)
*''[[Biology:Limonium lobinii|Limonium lobinii]]'' (Cape Verde)
*''Limonium macrophyllum'' (Tenerife)
[[File:Limonium scabrum00.jpg|thumb|''Limonium scabrum'']]
[[File:Limonium macrophyllum.jpg|thumbnail|right|''Limonium macrophyllum'']]
*''Limonium macropterum'' (Canary Islands)
*''Limonium macrorhabdos'' (Ladakh)
*''Limonium melitensis'' (Malta)
*''[[Biology:Limonium minutum|Limonium minutum]]'' (southeast France, endemic)
*''Limonium mouretii'' (Morocco)
*''[[Biology:Limonium multiflorum|Limonium multiflorum]]'' (western Portugal, endemic)
*''Limonium myrianthum'' (central Asia)
*''[[Biology:Limonium narbonense|Limonium narbonense]]'' (Southern Europe, North Africa, Southwest Asia)
*''Limonium nashii'' (Maritime North America)
*''Limonium ornatum'' (Morocco)
*''[[Biology:Limonium otolepis|Limonium otolepis]]'' (Saltmarsh sea-lavender; southwest and central Asia)
*''Limonium paradoxum'' (Great Britain, Ireland,<ref>[http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Limonium+&SPECIES_XREF=paradoxum&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= Flora Europaea]</ref> endemic)
*''[[Biology:Limonium paulayanum|Limonium paulayanum]]'' (Yemen, endemic)
*''[[Biology:Limonium pectinatum|Limonium pectinatum]]'' (Canary Islands)
*''Limonium peregrinum'' (South Africa)
*''[[Biology:Limonium perezii|Limonium perezii]]'' (Perez's sea-lavender; Canary Islands)
*''[[Biology:Limonium platyphyllum|Limonium platyphyllum]]'' (German statice; central and southeast Europe)
*''Limonium potaninii'' (western China: Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu)
*''Limonium preauxii'' (Canary Islands)
*''[[Biology:Limonium puberulum|Limonium puberulum]]'' (Canary Islands)
*''[[Biology:Limonium ramosissimum|Limonium ramosissimum]]'' (Mediterranean)
*''Limonium reniforme'' (kidneyleaf sea-lavender; Iran)
*''Limonium rezniczenkoanum'' (central Asia)
*''Limonium scabrum'' Kuntze (South Africa)
*''Limonium sieberi'' (eastern Mediterranean)
*''[[Biology:Limonium sinense|Limonium sinense]]'' (eastern Asia coasts: China, Ryukyu Islands, Vietnam)
*''[[Biology:Limonium sinuatum|Limonium sinuatum]]'' (wavyleaf sea-lavender; Mediterranean)
*''[[Biology:Limonium sokotranum|Limonium sokotranum]]'' (Yemen, endemic)
*''[[Biology:Limonium solanderi|Limonium solanderi]]'' (Australia)
*''Limonium spathulatum'' (Mediterranean)
*''Limonium spectabile'' (Canary islands)
*''[[Biology:Limonium strictissimum|Limonium strictissimum]]'' (Mediterranean: France, Italy)
*''Limonium suffruticosum'' (western and central Asia)
*''Limonium tenellum'' (Mongolia, northwest China)
*''[[Biology:Limonium tetragonum|Limonium tetragonum]]'' (square-stalked sea lavender; eastern Asia south to [[Earth:New Caledonia|New Caledonia]])
*''Limonium thouinii'' (Mediterranean)
*''Limonium tomentellum'' (Black Sea region)
*''[[Biology:Limonium virgatum|Limonium virgatum]]'' (western Mediterranean)
*''[[Biology:Limonium vulgare|Limonium vulgare]]'' (common sea-lavender; western Europe, northwest Africa)
*''Limonium wrightii'' (Japan, Taiwan)
*''[[Biology:Limonium zeraphae|Limonium zeraphae]]'' (Malta)

Some species formerly included in ''Limonium'', e.g. ''L. tataricum'', have now been transferred to the separate genus ''[[Biology:Goniolimon|Goniolimon]]''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.germanstatice.com/statice-flower-gallery.html German Statice Flower] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026222519/http://www.germanstatice.com/statice-flower-gallery.html |date=2016-10-26 }}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q157375}}

[[Category:Limonium| ]]
[[Category:Caryophyllales genera]]

{{Sourceattribution|Limonium}}