Crambe maritima - Sea-kale

Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Equisetopsida - Order: Brassicales - Family: Brassicaceae

Like so many members of the cabbage/mustard family, brassicaceae, as a wildflower Crambe maritima is essentially a seaside species.

Distribution

This coastal plant is becoming increasingly scarce, but Sea Kale is still found in parts of the UK and Ireland as well as on the coasts of many northern European countries.

Description

These perennial plants are very robust and form large domed clumps. The flowers have four white petals and appear in clusters from June until August. The seed pods are large and oval in shape with wavy margins.

Habitat

Sea Kale is a salt-tolerant plant and is found mostly on the sand and shingle of beaches. Occasionally seen growing on coastal cliffs, this is a species that is only very rarely found inland well away from the sea.

Etymology

The genus name Crambe comes from the Greek noun Krambe, meaning 'cabbage', while the specific epithet maritima means 'of the sea'.

The plants shown on this page were photographed in North Wales at on the Conwy Estuary in June and at Cemaes Bay Nature Reserve, Anglesey, during August.