It is a compact evergreen perennial which grows in low clumps and sends up long stems that support globes of bright pink flowers.

[2] Armeria maritima sensu lato has a circumpolar distribution can be found in the wild in coastal areas across the Northern Hemisphere.

One mechanism proposed is that not much copper is transported up the shoot of the plant, and is excreted from decaying leaves.

[18] Armeria maritima is a common species in the UK, however there are several subspecies and in England, subspecies elongata (Tall Thrift) has vulnerable conservation status and is designated as a species of principal importance for biodiversity conservation under the NERC Act (2006).

[20][21] As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity Plantlife chose sea thrift as the county flower of the Isles of Scilly.