In northern Washington and on Vancouver Island, populations with hairy leaves have been called Armeria maritima var. purpurea (Koch) G. H. M. Lawrence, a dimorphic-flowered taxon from central Europe. The American monomorphic-flowered specimens thought to belong to var. purpurea are not distinct from subsp. californica, except for their hairy leaves. We include hairy-leaved specimens in subsp. californica.