[1] Alternatively, the name may have derived from the Greek word "eruggarein", meaning to eructate (belch), since the plant was used to treat various digestive disorders such as trapped gases.

[14] The distribution also extends northwards into Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, along the Skagerrak and the Swedish islands of Gotland and Öland.

[22] Sea holly grows characteristically on the well-drained substrates of sand dunes and shingles, and is restricted to regions with mild winters.

[14] More rarely, it can be found growing on rocky coasts with patches of sand interspersed between artificial hard coastal protection features with a similar structure to shingle.

In northern Britain, its distribution is limited by the lack of suitable dune systems on which to grow[23] It withstands the harsh environmental conditions typical of beaches and coastal dune habitats worldwide; namely low soil nutrient levels, frost, strong salty winds, high temperatures and insolation, and periodic sand burial.

Sea holly is a poor ecological competitor that generally thrives in open areas,[25] declining when habitats are invaded by shrubby species such as Rosa rugosa, Hippophae rhamnoides, Elaeagnus commutata and Salix repens due to substantial shading effects[14] This is because sea holly is a light-demanding plant,[26] although it is protected against water stress through excessive insolation thanks to its succulent equifacial leaves.

[27] Sea holly has deep, well-developed taproots for water storage, allowing the plant to survive long dry periods that may occur in its habitat.

The root system also shows a high degree of plasticity in response to the dynamics of coastal ecosystems and may consequently develop a rhizome-like structure.

For example, in response to permanent sand burial, the root internodes gradually lengthen in such a way that the perennating buds are brought closer to the ground surface for ensuring the plants' survival throughout the growing seasons.

[30] Like other species in the genus, E. maritimum has been traditionally consumed to combat various ailments, especially thanks to the plant's high antioxidant activity and content of phenolic and flavonoid compounds.

[32] Moreover, essential oils, extracted by hydro-distillation, from the aerial parts of the plant have been found to contain oxygenated sesquiterpenes with antimicrobial activity against E. coli and L.

[36] They are named in a speech by Falstaff: "Let the sky rain potatoes;let it thunder to the tune of Green-sleeves,hail kissing-comfits and snow eringoes [sea-holly],let there come a tempest of provocation..."Sea holly was nominated the 2002 County flower for the city of Liverpool.