Within Plumbaginaceae adaptations to maritime habitats led to significant morphological and physiological features. Focussing on the characters of the bisexual flowers their morphological features and distinctive change during anthesis can also be interpreted as adaptations to the microclimatic conditions and the pollinator abundance in the mainly coastal environment of the different species. Even within the genera Armeria and Limonium (Armerioideae) a great variety in special floral features influencing pollination efficiency has developed, e.g. heterostyly and polymorphic pollen grains. These morphological patterns can not be interpreted solely as autapomorphic characters strongly influenced by actual environmental conditions, but moreover including the phylogenetic relationships of and within genera.

Key words: Armeria, floral ecology, flower morphology, Limonium, Plumbaginaceae