Jepson Herbarium
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Annual to perennial herb; rarely dioecious (Silene), taprooted or rhizome generally slender.
Leaf: simple, generally opposite (subwhorled), entire, pairs at nodes often ± connected at bases; stipules generally 0; petiole generally 0.
Inflorescence: generally cyme, generally open; flowers 1–many; involucre generally 0 (present in Dianthus, Petrorhagia).
Flower: generally bisexual, radial; hypanthium often present but obscure; sepals (4)5, ± free or fused into a tube, margins generally scarious, more so on inner 2 or not, tube generally not scarious, awns generally 0; petals (4)5 or 0, generally tapered to base (or with claw long, limb expanded), entire to 2–several-lobed, limb generally without scale-like appendages adaxially, generally without ear-like lobes at base; stamens generally 10, generally fertile, generally free, generally from ovary base; nectaries 0 or 5; ovary superior, generally 1-chambered, placentas basal or free-central, styles 2–5 with 0 branches or 1 with 2–3 branches.
Fruit: capsule or utricle (rarely ± dehiscent), generally sessile.
Seed: appendage generally 0 (present in Moehringia).
83 or 89 genera, 3000 species: widespread, especially arctic, alpine, temperate n hemisphere; some cultivated (Agrostemma, Arenaria, Cerastium, Dianthus, Gypsophila, Lychnis, Sagina, Saponaria, Silene, Vaccaria). [Rabeler & Hartman 2005 FNANM 5:3–215] Apetalous Caryophyllaceae can also be keyed in Rabeler & Hartman 2005 FNANM 5:5–8. —Scientific Editor: Thomas J. Rosatti.

Key to Caryophyllaceae

Perennial, prostrate (non- flower stems) or ascending to erect to mat-forming, taprooted.
Leaf: needle-like to narrowly linear; vein 1.
Inflorescence: terminal, open to head- or umbel-like; flowers 1–many; peduncles, pedicels 0–55 mm.
Flower: hypanthium present; sepals 5, ± free, 3–7.2 mm, lance- linear to ovate, glabrous to glandular-hairy; petals 5, 2–18 mm, entire or ± notched; stamens on hypanthium; ovary ± superior, styles 3, 2.5–3 mm.
Fruit: capsule, ovoid to urn-shaped; teeth 6, ascending to recurved.
Seed: 1–9, ± gray, dark brown, red-brown, yellow-tan, black-purple, or ± black.
90 species: n temperate, especially w North America, Eurasia. (Greek: solitary or deserted + seed, allusion uncertain) [Hartman & Rabeler 2004 Sida 21:237–241] Based in part on molecular evidence (Harbaugh et al. 2010 Intl J Plant Sci 171:185–198), 2 subgenera of Arenaria treated here as Eremogone.
Unabridged synonyms: [Arenaria subg. Eremogone (Fenzl) Fenzl, Arenaria subg. Eremogoneastrum F. Williams]
Unabridged references: [Hartman, Rabeler, & Utech 2005 FNANM 5:56–70]

Perennial, tufted, green.
Stem: (10)20–40(100) cm, rounded, ± dull, glabrous to glandular-hairy.
Leaf: 20–60 mm, 0.5–1 mm wide, subsucculent or not succulent, spine tipped, vein 1.
Inflorescence: cymes, terminal, open; flowers many; pedicels 15–55 mm.
Flower: sepals 3–4.3 mm, in fruit < 5.5 mm, acute to acuminate; petals 6–9 mm; nectaries rounded, 0.3–0.4 mm.
Fruit: 6–7 mm.
Seed: 4–5, 1.3–3.2 mm, ± round to ovate, compressed, red-brown to ± black; tubercles low, rounded to conic.
Pine, oak woodland, granitic alluvium on foothills, mtn slopes; 1450–2900 m. c&s High Sierra Nevada, San Jacinto Mountains, East of Sierra Nevada;

Previous taxon: Eremogone congesta var. suffrutescens
Next taxon: Eremogone kingii var. glabrescens

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].

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Bioregions in which taxon occurs	Red area (if present) is the part of the bioregion lying between the upper and lower elevation limits of the taxon; markers link to CCH specimen records. If the markers are obscured, reload the page [or change window size and reload]. Yellow markers indicate records that may have georeferencing or identification issues.
Chart based on elevation range in Manual and elevations and coordinates of CCH records. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. Note: About half of the CCH records include both elevation and coordinates.	Map made in collaboration with Scott Loarie. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. View all CCH records   CCH collections by month Duplicates counted once; synonyms included. Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa. Blue line denotes Manual flowering time.