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Apiaceae FAMILY

Crithmum maritimum

Crithmum maritimum

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Prefers a moist light sandy or gravelly soil, doing very well between stones or by a south-east facing wall[1]. Requires a warm dry well-drained sunny position and shade from the midday sun[2, 3]. Requires saline conditions[3]. Plants are best grown in moist salty soil or a very well-drained poor dry soil. When grown away from the coast, this plant requires a warm sheltered position and some protection in cold winters[4]. At one time this plant was sometimes cultivated in the vegetable garden[5], though it is quite difficult to do this successfully[2, 1]. It is difficult to grow outside its natural habitat[6].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn[2]. Sow in a cold frame and only just cover the seed[6]. Germination usually takes place within 3 - 6 weeks at 15°c[6]. One report says that the seed only has a short viability and should be sown as soon as it is ripe[4], but it has germinated well with us when sown in mid spring in a cold frame[PFAF]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer. Division in spring[4]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Crithmum+maritimum>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]The Gardener's Assistant. — Thompson. B. · Blackie and Son. · 1878 · ISBN - ↩︎Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.
  2. [2]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  5. [5]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  6. [6]Growing from Seed. Volume 4. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1990 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
  7. [7]Flora of the British Isles. — Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. · Cambridge University Press · 1962 · ISBN - ↩︎A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
  8. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎