Limonium recurvum ssp. portlandicum - Portland Sea-lavender
Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Equisetopsida - Order: Caryophyllales - Family: Plumbaginaceae
Above: Portland Sea-lavender in the background, hiding behind Rock Samphire (Crithmum maritimum). Picture by kind permission of Anne Horsfall
Portland Sea-lavender is an extremely rare plant in the UK and is now protected under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
The cliffs of the Isle of Portland in Dorset are internationally important for their geological interest and they are also home to a rich limestone flora. The occurence in Britain of Portland Sea-lavender is entirely restricted to these cliffs, where is it still easy to find.
Portland Sea-lavender has pinkish-lilac flowers which resemble those of Rock Sea-lavender, but they differ in that they are borne in a dense, curved spray. This plant blooms from July to August.
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