The sea aster is an unusual plant in that it spends a good part of its life with its roots in sea water and can in fact be fully submerged at high tide. You will most likely find them around the coastline, at saltmarshes or estuaries, or on cliff faces in very little soil.

The plant has purple-blue, daisy-like flowers with bright yellow centres. The stems and leaves are long and slender with a light green colouration and the plant can grow up to 1m in height. Sea aster flowers in Ireland from July to October and they bloom in small clusters which can be spotted along the coast.

The leaves of sea aster can be eaten and you will find many recipes online that involve raw or cooked leaves. The flavour is meant to be a complex sweet flavour with hints of iron and nut!