Statice and sea lavenders are widespread across the world. Normally herbaceous, often branching or wiry stems, topped with small flowers, with a papery calyx. Found in open, often coastal areas and tolerant of salty conditions. L. sinuatum is the florists statice, with a variety of flowers colours, retained, even when dried.
Limonium is a complex, cosmopolitan genus with the majority of species being from Europe and the Mediterranean region, some very rare and restricted to single islands or stretches of coastline. All are attractive to bees and butterflies and generally tolerant of coastal localities and stony ground. The mat-forming species provide useful cover for invertebrates, including beneficial predators such as ground-beetles. The larvae of several rare, specialist salt-marsh moths (e.g. ground lackey and saltmarsh plume) feed on limonium and could well colonise plants in a garden close to the coast.