Eryngium maritimum

Eryngium maritimum, also called the sea holly, sea eryngo, or sea eryngium, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, native to the coasts of most of Europe and the Mediterranean. Its prickly holly-like leaves and compact flower heads give it the appearance of a thistle. Despite its common name, it is not a holly but an umbellifer.

Description

A plant that normally completes its life cycle in 2 years but can live for a few years. It grows 60 cm high and spreads 50 cm wide. The leaves are stiff and spiny. They are rounded and silvery grey. They are 10 cm long and have 5 lobes with spines at their tips. The flowers are metallic blue and occur in the summer.

Edible Uses

Young shoots are cooked and used as an asparagus substitute; they are typically blanched by excluding light from the growing plant and are considered palatable and nourishing. The root is cooked and used as a vegetable or candied as a sweetmeat. It is palatable, nutritious, slightly sweet, and smells of carrots; boiled or roasted roots are said to resemble parsnips or chestnuts in flavour.

Traditional Uses

The leaves are brewed to make tea. The young shoots are sometimes blanched and eaten. The flowering shoots can also be used. The candied roots are called "eryngo". The roots are boiled or roasted like parsnips. The candied roots are made into conserve or used to flavour jellies and toffee.

Medicinal Uses

Sea holly roots were collected on a large scale in 17th- and 18th-century England, where they were candied and used as restorative, quasi-aphrodisiac lozenges. The plant remains in use in modern herbalism, valued especially for its diuretic action. The root is considered aphrodisiac, aromatic, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant, and tonic. It promotes free expectoration and is regarded as very useful in treating the debility associated with chronic coughs in the advanced stages of pulmonary consumption. It is used in the treatment of cystitis and urethritis, to help alleviate kidney stones (likely by retarding formation rather than dissolving them), and to treat enlargement or inflammation of the prostate gland. Drunk freely, it is used for diseases of the liver and kidneys. Applied externally as a poultice, the dried powdered root is said to aid tissue regeneration. The root should be harvested in autumn from plants at least 2 years old.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows on pebbly shorelines. It suits hardiness zones 5-9.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Europe, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mediterranean, North Africa, North America, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, USA,

Cultivation

Requires a deep well-drained soil and a sunny position. Prefers a light sandy saline soil but tolerates most soil types including lime and poor gravels. Plants are best grown in a hot dry position. Established plants are drought tolerant. Plants are hardy to about -15°c. Sea holly has very long roots that penetrate deeply in the soil and are often several feet long. These roots are sweetly scented. The plant should be placed in its final position whilst small since it resents root disturbance. Although a sea-shore plant, it is amenable to garden cultivation. A good bee plant.

Propagation

Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in early autumn, placed on the surface of a well-drained compost in a cold frame. Sowing in spring is also possible. Germination can be very slow, though one report indicates it typically occurs in 5–90 days at 20°C. Once large enough to handle, prick seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse through their first winter, then plant out into permanent positions in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Division can be done in early spring or autumn, though care should be taken as the plant resents root disturbance. Root cuttings can be taken in autumn or winter.

Other Uses

The plant's extensive root system helps to bind sand on the sea shore, making it useful for soil stabilization.

Other Information

The candied roots are sold in markets.

Notes

There are 230 Eryngium species.

Also Known As

Eringo, Eryngo, Obmorska možina, Sea-holm

References (21)

• Biscotti, N. et al, 2018, The traditional food use of wild vegetables in Apulia (Italy) in the light of Italian ethnobotanical literature. Italian Botanist 5:1-24
• Blamey, M and Grey-Wilson, C., 2005, Wild flowers of the Mediterranean. A & C Black London. p 154
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 400
• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 249
• Brown, D., 2002, The Royal Horticultural Society encyclopedia of Herbs and their uses. DK Books. p 205

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