Aster tripolium Sea Aster

Sea Aster is a common and widespread halophytic composite of coastal saltmarshes in Britain where it often dominates middle-marsh communities. It also occurs occasionally on sea cliffs and walls within the sea-spray zone. It occurs as two distinct varieties of minor taxonomic importance, one with disc florets only (var. discoides) and one which produces a few purple ray florets. Both occur together in most communities where rayless plants usually predominate. Large amounts of sodium and chloride ions from the saline soil are transported to its shoots where they accumulate in the vacuoles of its cells. The resulting osmotic, salt burden is balanced by the production of compatible osmoregulants such as proline and glycinebetaine in the cytoplasm.

Native