The sea window is one of the boreal plants that Drenthe is known for. They are plants that belong in Northern Europe but also occur in our province because it is slightly colder here than in the rest of the country.
This spring, volunteers from the Drenthe plant working group will visit all known growing sites of the plant to see how it is doing. Has the species survived in recent years when it was so extremely hot and dry?
The sea window occurs in light forests in cool places. One of the sites is a forest near Hooghalen in Central Drenthe. “The plant is just in between,” observes Alida Taylor Parkins of the plant working group. “Let’s be glad it’s still there.” She points to the places where the plant used to be common. “Just like the valley herb. It likes to grow together, where there is valley herb, the sea window also feels at home.”
The plant comes from the primrose family and is characteristic of beech-oak forest. It is a slender plant with a thin stem and small, white flowers. Taylor Parkins: “It is a real forest plant that is somewhat sheltered. It is quite vulnerable. With a delicate root under the ground, but it survives with that. A really thin, delicate and whitish root.” In our country, the most important places to grow are in Drenthe.