The best known species and highly variable in the wild. Hummock to mat-forming. Leaves linear, 4-12cm long. Flowerheads 1.5-2.5cm in diameter, pink to reddish-purple, on pubescent stems up to 20cm in height, late spring to summer. Northern hemisphere and southern South America on coastal cliffs, beaches and salt marshes, also mountains inland. A very variable species with many ill-defined varieties and subspecies. A.m. subsp. elongata is generally more clump or mat-forming, with ciliate leaves 5-15cm long and flowering stems 25cm or more in height. Northern and central Europe, on sandy heaths and grassy places inland. A.m. subsp. sibirica (syn. A. labradorica and A. nebrodensis), has linear-spathulate leaves 3-5cm long and pale pink flowerheads to 2cm wide on stems usually less than 15cm in height. Circumpolar, in dry stony places, heaths and alpine meadows. A.m. subsp. halleri is somewhat more robust with longer, ciliate leaves and flowering stems and bright pink to red flowers. Western and central Europe, usually in dry pastures and gravelly soils rich in heavy metals. A.m. subsp. purpurea is similar to subsp. halleri but with purplish flowers. Southern Germany in marshy meadows. A.m. subsp. alpina (syn. A. cantabrica) produces glabrous leaves 3-8cm long, and deep pink, red or purple flowerheads 1.8-3cm in diameter on stems to 25cm tall. A.m. subsp. andina (syn. A. andina, A. chilensis, A. macloviana), generally has leaves less than 3cm long, but not invariably, especially when cultivated. Southern Chile, Argentina and Falkland Islands. A number of cultivars derived from the above subspecies (and perhaps from other less common ones not described here) are widely cultivated, invariably being listed just as variants of A. maritima'. 'Alba', white; 'Bloodstone', blood-red; 'Corsica', bright brick red and slightly narrower leaves; 'Dusseldorf Pride', purplish red; 'Laucheana', rich pink; 'Merlin', soft pink; 'Perfection', large heads of bright pink; 'Ruby Glow', ruby red; 'Vindictive', glowing pinkish-red.
