Care of the plant Crithmum maritimum or Rock samphire |
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The genus Crithmum, family Apiaceae, includes a single species of perennial herbaceous plant native to southern Europe: Crithmum maritimum. Common names: Rock samphire, Crest marine, Marine fennel, Sea fennel. They are herbaceous plants with a shrubby habit that reach 40 cm (15.74") in height. The leaves are narrow, fleshy and pale green in color. The flowers are small, white or greenish-yellow in color and appear in umbels. They bloom in summer. Rock samphire is used in rockery, on sandy slopes, in low-maintenance gardens and in orchards. These medicinal plants have antiscorbutic, cleansing, digestive and diuretic properties. They are added to pickles or olives. Crithmum maritimum needs full sun exposure. They resist the heat of the Mediterranean summer and frost down to -15 ºC (5 ºF). Marine fennel prefers sandy or stony soils (even poor ones); it can root even between rocks and calcareous soils. Sea fennel is a low maintenance plant that do not need watering. It survives on the low rainfall in the Mediterranean region. Crithmum maritimum does not need fertilizers or pruning. Crest marine is a resistant plant to the usual pests and diseases. Rock samphire propagates by seeds sown in spring directly in their final location. |
Images of the plant Crithmum maritimum or Rock samphire |
 Crithmum maritimum  Crithmum maritimum  Crithmum maritimum  Crithmum maritimum |