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Plants

It is easy to identify when dunes were created. The further the dunes are inland, the older they are. The closer to the sea they are, the younger they are. Pioneer plants grow on the beach, whereas whole forests exist on the dunes. There is a huge variation of plants in the dunes.

The blue sea thistle (Eryngium maritimum) is a protected plant. This thistle has a maximum height of 60 centimetres and owes its name to the blue flowers and the blue-green stalk and leaf. The blue colour is caused by a wax coating which covers the sea thistle. This coating protects the plant against dehydration and gives it a great advantage in the sometimes high dunes.

The sea hedge mustard (Cakile maritima) also has a maximum height of 60 centimetres and can be identified by its light pink flowers. Like the blue sea thistle, the sea hedge mustard has found ways to survive on both the seaside and the dunes. The sea hedge mustard has thick, fleshy leaves, in which plenty of water can be stored. The second part of the Latin name (maritima) hints that the sea hedge mustard is comfortable with the salty sea.

Marrams (Ammophila arenaria) have a maximum height of one metre and have an advanced rooting system allowing them to obtain as much water as possible from the sand. Because these roots bind the sand together so effectively, marram is often planted in places where dunes are likely to erode. Marram are able to continue to grow even after being completely covered with sand. During dry weather the leaves curl up, so that the stomas are on the inside. This helps prevent water being evaporated through the stomas. During dry weather, marrams must try to prevent too much liquid being lost.

Elders (Sambucus nigra) are dark green bushes which carry a cream coloured blossom in June. From these blossoms elderberry syrup can be made, for example. The flowers need to be put in water with sugar and lemon for a couple of days. Elders are a common phenomenon in Zeeland. Not only can they be found in the dunes, they also grow along cycle paths on the polders. They are situated at nitrogen-free places within sparse woods, on tilled soil, behind the sea strip and in hedges and dunes. The bushes can grow up to six metres high! Elders in the dunes are often covered with sand and look dead. Under these dead branches however are fresh green leaves. The dead branches are used by the elder to protect the living parts against the harsh sea breeze.

Sea buckthorns (Hippophae rhamnoides) are dioecious, meaning that both male and female bushes exist. These bushes grow in dune valleys and have a maximum height of four metres. The female sea buckthorns are identifiable by their orange berries. If you happen to be thirsty, these berries quench your thirst and contain plenty of vitamin C. Before the summer, the leaves become increasingly grey. Hairs also begin to grow on the leaves, to prevent the plant from dehydrating. These hairs are the reason for the leaves' grey colour. The sea buckthorn can grow very fast which helps to prevent it getting burried under the sand. Half a metre growth each year may seem a lot at first, but it is actually little over one millimetre per day. The sea buckthorn prefers limy soil. Highly nutritious soil is not a problem for the sea buckthorn either, except that it has to compete with the elder. Since the elder can grow many metres higher than the buckthorn, the latter will usually wither and die.

Bloom brambles (Rubus caesius) belong to the rose family and are related to the raspberry and the Japanese wine berry. They occur in the dunes and near rivers. Bloom brambles can often be found growing behind the sea strip, meaning this part of the dunes is often called bloom bramble scenery.

Trailing stable herb (Ononis repens) prefers limy soils, just like the sea buckthorn. The stalks and leaves have gland hairs, which filter grains of sand from the air. The sticky residue produced by these gland hairs give off a terrible smell, rather like a farm stable (hence the name, stable herb).

The crude forget-me-not (Myosotis ramosissima) also grows on the limy dry soil of the dunes, verges and river dunes, and has a maximum height of 25 centimetres. The boraginaceous grows best on southern sun-facing dune slopes. The flowers are so small that you need a magnifying glass to be able see the blue flowers with the yellow hearts.

The small candlestick (Saxifrage tridactylites) belongs to the same family as the Pernassia. They live in open, dry and limy soil, primarily on dune slopes and stoney surfaces, such as walls. The small candlestick can easily be recognized by its red stalks and bright white flowers.

The night campion (Silene nutans) is a plant which is not a big sun worshipper. It does not grow on the southern, but on the northern slopes of the dunes. The flowering pattern is also different from what you would expect. By day the white flowers look dishevelled and lifeless. By the beginning of the evening however, the crown-shaped flowers flourish and give off a pleasant smell.

The monostyle hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) mainly occurs in woods and dunes and has a maximum height of 4.5 metres. The ‘Meijendel’ dune area near The Hague probably owes its name to the hawthorn. ‘Del’ is derived from the Dutch word ‘dal’, which means valley, so ‘Meijendel’ literally means hawthorn valley. The bushes can be recognized by their white flowers and dark green leaves. The shape of the bushes is often determined by the dominant direction of the sea breeze. For that reason, the hawthorn may look rather bare and wind-swept. They serve as an excellent breeding place for birds and a great food source for insects however.

The sweet-brier is a wild type of rose, whose leaves have gland hairs. During wet weather, they produce a strong smell of apples. Sometimes the sweet-brier is mixed up with another type of rose, - the brier rose. The flowers of the brier rose however are completely pink, and do not have the unique apple smell. The sweet-brier has dark pink leaves with white borders around the heart. The thorns on the stalk can be both hook-shaped and straight.

The burnet (Rose pimpinellifolia) often grows in the limy soil of the dunes which is not very nutritious. The plant has a maximum height of 1.5 metres, and serves as a source of fun for gnawing rabbits. For this reason, burnet bushes do not grow very high on the dunes, but instead they can cover a large surface area.