Centaurea seridis

Perennial of the Asteraceae family, Centaurea seridis is a species of the western Mediterranean basin, mainly present on the Spanish and French Mediterranean coasts, as well as in North Africa. It is characteristic of sandy coastal environments: coastal dunes, fixed or semi-fixed maritime sands, and beach edges, at very low altitude, often in direct contact with sea spray.

It forms large, sprawling, dense and prostrate bushes, capable of covering several square meters, with a modest height of 20 to 50 cm. The foliage is one of its distinctive features: the leaves are oval to oblong, entire or slightly toothed, covered with a dense, cottony, silvery-gray tomentum on both sides, giving them a uniform ashen appearance perfectly adapted to the reflection and dryness of dune environments.

The flower heads are numerous, scattered over the entire bush, of modest size. The flowers are tubular, a bright pink-purple to magenta, emerging from a globular involucre with scales with scarious appendages fringed with reddish-brown, very characteristic. The contrast between the bright pink of the flowers and the gray of the foliage is particularly striking, as evidenced by the photographs.

In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to July. It withstands extreme conditions: salt, wind, prolonged drought, poor and unstable substrate. In cultivation, it requires full sun and very well-drained soil, preferably sandy; it is suitable for dry seaside gardens and natural compositions on dune substrate.