Oyster Plant

• the oyster plant is another hardy northern coastal species
• it is best seen in flower, June to August
• the British and Irish populations are the most southerly in Europe.
• it grows on shingle, or occasionally sand, on the upper sea shore where there is some supply of freshwater from the land behind and some protection from the worst storms
• look out for this attractive plant on some of the shores of south County Down and north County Antrim when in flower, June to August
• the plant can also be found in some of the coves in the cliffs to the east of the Giant’s Causeway
• the shoots of the Oysterplant lie flat against the ground
• the leaves are thick, oval, a silvery blue-green, reputedly tasting of oysters
• the flowers, starting pink but turning blue, are formed in clusters from June onwards