Perennial of the Plumbaginaceae family, Armeria maritima is one of the most widespread species of the genus, present over a very large geographical area covering the Atlantic coasts of Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula to the British Isles and Scandinavia, as well as the alpine and subalpine zones of several mountain ranges in Europe and North America. This remarkable ecological amplitude has allowed it to colonize environments as contrasting as wind-swept coastal cliffs and lawns, high-altitude meadows, heaths, and exposed rocks, from sea level up to over 3,000 meters in some ranges.
It forms dense and rounded tufts of linear, narrow, evergreen leaves, dark green, flexible and non-prickly, which immediately distinguishes it from Armeria juniperifolia to the touch. The floral stems, erect and slender, reach 15 to 30 cm depending on conditions, and each bears a globular head of pink flowers, sometimes white depending on the populations, surrounded by a collar of membranous bracts.
In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from April to July depending on latitude and altitude. In cultivation, it blooms abundantly from May to July, with sometimes a resurgence in autumn.
It tolerates poor, dry, and very well-drained soils, including salty ones, and requires full sun. Robust and undemanding, it is suitable for rock gardens, dry borders, and exposed coastal gardens.