Sea Lavender (Limonium carolinianum) —Beach Plant

Tidepool Tim says, "Sea lavender is a beautiful perennial plant that grows in the high intertidal zone of Cobscook Bay. The delicate branches flower July-October, yielding 1 1/4" purple flowers. The green structure of the plant often has a reddish tinge. At the base of the stems, leathery, spoon-like leaves grow in a circular pattern.

This plant is a hydrophyte, so it's aquatic and has air-filled tissues. Hydrophytes are able to survive in aquatic conditions using a variety of adaptive mechanisms. Sea lavender lets salt into its tissues and pumps it out through specialized salt glands. You may see this strategy in action by looking on the bottom surfaces of the leaves. You will see salt crystals all over them, excreted as salt solutions that dried into crystals."