Sea holly. Kaliningrad region

In the Kaliningrad region, there are 19 plants whose specific epithets include the words "maritime" or "seaside," including one in cultivation. Nine of them are found on the Curonian Spit. They are not botanically related and often belong to different genera and families. Their external characteristics also vary. However, all these species share a common trait: their proximity to the sea.

Among them, the sea holly (Eryngium maritimum) is the most recognizable and popular species on the Baltic coast. It was chosen by scientists of the last century as the symbol of the Prussian Botanical Society.

This perennial herbaceous plant is leathery and thorny, with a sturdy rhizome. Its stems are 20 to 60 cm tall, branched at the top, and gray-green in color. The leaves are leathery, gray-green with a bluish tint. The inflorescence is a compact umbel of flowers 2-4 cm in size, blue or amethyst, protected by spiny bracts. It blooms from June to September. The dense fruit is covered with spiny scales.

Sea holly is a real treasure trove of beneficial and healing substances that have a positive effect on the body. Healers have long used the root, inflorescence, stem, and leaves to prepare various infusions that significantly improve the well-being of people with kidney problems. The plant contains high amounts of valuable acids (malic, oxalic, malonic, glycolic, and others) and their derivatives (rosmarinic and chlorogenic), as well as glucose and fructose. In addition, sea holly is rich in fatty oils.

Sea holly is listed in the Red Book of the Kaliningrad region. Its coarse, highly structured stems, bluish thorny leaves, and inflorescences are unmistakable among other dune plants. Rising from the sand, sea holly shows with its very presence that it is possible to grow, bloom, and harmoniously blend with the white sands of the Baltic, even in such harsh conditions.