IKBFU Scientists Work to Preserve Endangered Sea Holly — A Symbol of the Baltic Coast

Sea holly (Eryngium maritimum L.) is a salt‑tolerant plant currently endangered in the Kaliningrad Region, with its numbers declining across Russia. The plant grows on dunes, helping to stabilise the sand — a key factor in the conservation of unique natural areas. It is also a highly valuable source of flavonoids, polyphenols, antioxidants, and compounds with antibacterial and fungicidal activity.

n the Kaliningrad Region, sea holly is found on the dune sands of the Vistula and Curonian Spits. It flowers from late June to August — although on the sheltered side of the dunes, flowering plants can be observed until October or November if temperatures remain sufficiently high. It produces seeds from August to October.

A major conservation campaign is underway within the Curonian Spit National Park — signs warn tourists against picking the plant, staff carry out patrols, and seeds are collected and sown to restore its population. The Vistula Spit, however, has no such protected status, and the human impact there has been devastating. The tough, prickly plants are destroyed to clear space for tents and campsites; they are picked for bouquets — their striking blue‑grey stems making them highly attractive; and they are harvested for medicinal purposes, often used as a folk remedy for digestive disorders and lung diseases.

Sea holly is a rhizomatous plant with roots over a metre long, buried deep in the sand to prevent it from shifting. However, the systematic destruction of the plants — combined with storms that erode the dunes — is leading to a steady decline in the species' population.

The Laboratory of Microclonal Plant Propagation at Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University is established an in vitro culture of this valuable plant — a symbol of the Baltic coast. In vitro culture will, first and foremost, enable the plant to be preserved in the region's gene bank. It will also allow the plants to be adapted ex vitro for eventual reintroduction into the wild.

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