Limonium Mill.

Overview

Limonium belongs to the family Plumbaginaceae. Flora of China counts about 300 species worldwide, 22 of them in China; WCVP accepts more, including many natural hybrids, listed below. Kew gives the native range as temperate and subtropical regions east to the Philippines.

The florists’ statice is L. sinuatum. Chinese florists sell it as 勿忘我, “forget-me-not”, though it is unrelated to the true forget-me-nots, Myosotis, in the borage family; the finer sea-lavender fillers are other species and hybrids of the genus. Kew records L. sinuatum as native to Macaronesia and the Mediterranean to the western Sahara and western Caucasus, an annual or perennial herb.

Classification and characters

The name Limonium Mill. (1754) is conserved; Linnaeus’s Statice of 1753 is rejected, so the trade name “statice” is no longer used botanically (Flora of China).

Flora of China describes herbs or shrublets, the stems often reduced to a caudex, with alternate leaves usually crowded in rosettes. The much-branched, often flat-topped inflorescence ends in spikes of 2–13 spikelets in two rows, each with one to five flowers. The calyx is funnel-shaped to tubular, with a scarious, expanded limb that is 5- or 10-lobed; the corolla is joined at the base. The “flower colour” florists buy is mostly this papery calyx limb, which is why it keeps its colour when dried. Flora of Tropical East Africa describes L. sinuatum with narrow crisp wings on the stem and pinnately lobed leaves; the calyx is 6–7 mm with a broad purple limb, and the corolla is yellow or pink.

Distribution

WCVP records the genus as native to 150 TDWG botanical regions and introduced in 4 more.

Introduced

AustriaMexico CentralMexico SouthwestWashington

Accepted species

WCVP accepts 626 species; names with × are natural hybrids. The count changes with revisions; checked 2026-10-28.

Historic plates

Plates in date order; the printed names are kept as they appear, current names are on the species pages and the topic page.

• 

  Statice sinuata

  Curtis's Botanical Magazine · 71 · 1789
  
• 

  Statice arborea

  Curtis's Botanical Magazine · 3776 · 1840
  Walter Hood Fitch, Joseph Swan
• 

  Statice frutescens

  Flore des serres et des jardins de l'Europe · 1848
  L. Stroobant, Louis van Houtte
• 

  Statice bonduellei

  Curtis's Botanical Magazine · 5158 · 1860
  Walter Hood Fitch

Fresh and dried cut-flower handling

Floralife’s statice sheet: harvest when about 50–70% of the flowers are open or showing colour; store at 1–3 °C and 75–85% humidity in medium-quality water, avoiding softened water; vase life 7–14 days, ethylene sensitivity usually low, and it performs well in foam. Unpack boxes at once so bunches can air, especially sleeved ones, and do not overfill buckets, as the product moulds quickly without air. The main problems are yellowing leaves and stems, grey mould (botrytis), and condensation in packed boxes rotting and shattering the flowers towards the centre of the bunch.

Floralife’s Limonium sheet, for the sea-lavender fillers: vase life varies by cultivar from 4 to 16 days; ethylene sensitivity is low but varies, and ethylene action inhibitors have been shown to extend vase life. Pull the plastic sleeve down on arrival to stop condensation, and change the water often. These have a musky smell some compare to cat urine, so avoid them in confined, poorly ventilated rooms.

Both dry easily: hang the stems upside down in a cool, airy place for several days, and they keep their colour.

Further reading

• Flower guide
• Reference library

References

1. WCVP · World Checklist of Vascular Plants (via ChecklistBank dataset 2232) · accessed 2026-10-28
2. Flora of China vol. 15 · Limonium
3. Kew (POWO data on the ColPlanta site) · Limonium sinuatum, with Flora of Tropical East Africa
4. Floralife · Statice care and handling
5. Floralife · Limonium care and handling