Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Matthiola sinuate

Family

Brassicaceae

Flowering season

June to August

English distribution

North Devon, Studland, Havant and the Chanel Islands.

For a map see the BSBI online atlas for: Sea Stock

Habitat

It is a native plant of cliffs and sand dunes and

is mainly confined to North Devon and SW Wales in

the UK. It was first recorded in the early 1600s and

Inland plants are thought to be aliens,

Description

Sea Stock is a biennial, perennial herb which grows

up to1m on sea cliffs and mobile sand dunes. 

Flowers are in loose racemes and up to 2.5cm across. They

have no bracts

The 4 petals are wedge-shaped and pale purple with central 

white and yellow markings.

There are 6 yellow stamens and a bilobed humped stigma.

Fruits are siliquae up to 12ccm.

Sepals are covered in short hairs (tomentose) and glandular.

Leaves are sinuate (wavy) with narrow oblong lobes. 

The grey leaves and stems are bushy, tomentose and glanular.

The entire plant is light grey and fragrant.

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