Malcomia littoralis

Perennial of the Brassicaceae family, native to the sandy coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, the south of Mediterranean France, and northern Morocco.

It colonizes coastal dunes, fixed or semi-fixed maritime sands, and high tide lines, directly exposed to sea spray, heat, and drought. It is a strictly coastal plant, rarely found inland.

It forms loose and spreading clumps, with slender and branched stems, reaching 20 to 40 cm in height. The foliage is one of its most distinctive traits: the leaves, narrow, slightly lobed to toothed, are densely covered with a grayish, almost silvery indument, giving them a velvety appearance and protecting them from desiccation.

The flowers, with four petals characteristic of the Brassicaceae, are a bright pink-purple with a paler, almost white center. In its natural habitat, it blooms from March to June, sometimes until July depending on exposure.

In cultivation, it requires very well-drained, sandy or gravelly soil, in full sun, and poorly tolerates cold and wet winters. It finds its place in gravel gardens, coastal rockeries, and exposed Mediterranean containers.