| TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL (1993) |
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©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
For up-to-date information about California vascular plants, visit the Jepson eFlora. |
AND IS MAINTAINED FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY |
Annual, biennial, perennial herb, rarely dioecious, taprooted or rhizome generally slender
Leaves simple, generally opposite; stipules generally 0; petiole generally 0; blade entire, sheath generally 0
Inflorescence: cyme, generally open; flowers few–many or flower solitary and axillary; involucre generally 0
Flower generally bisexual, radial; hypanthium sometimes present; sepals generally 5, ± free or fused into a tube, tube generally herbaceous between lobes or teeth; awns generally 0; petals generally 5 or 0, generally tapered to base (or with claw long, blade expanded), entire to 2–several-lobed, blade generally without scale-like appendages (inner surface), generally without ear-like lobes at base; stamens generally 10, generally fertile, generally free, generally from ovary base; nectaries generally 0; ovary superior, generally 1-chambered, placentas basal or free-central, styles 2–5 or 1 and 2–3-branched
Fruit: capsule or utricle (rarely modified, dehiscent), generally sessile
Seeds: appendage generally 0
Genera in family: 85 genera, 2400 species: widespread, especially arctic, alpine, temp, n hemisphere; some cultivated (Agrostemma, Arenaria, Cerastium, Dianthus, Gypsophila, Lychnis, Saponaria, Silene, Vaccaria ).
Annual, perennial herb, erect to mat-forming, taprooted or rhizomed
Leaf: blade thread-like to awl-shaped or narrowly oblong; veins or ribs 1–3
Inflorescence: cyme, terminal or axillary; flowers 2–many, open to ± dense, or flower solitary; peduncles and pedicels 0.5–35+ mm
Flower: hypanthium short, obscure; sepals 5, ± free, 1.9–7 mm, ± lanceolate to ovate, glabrous to glandular-hairy; petals 5 or 0, 0.7–10 mm, entire or notched; stamens arising from an obscure to prominent disk; styles 3, 0.3–2 mm
Fruit: capsule, narrowly ovoid to widely elliptic; teeth 3, ascending to recurved
Seeds 1–many, reddish tan to reddish, purplish, or blackish brown
Species in genus: 120 species: arctic to Mex, n Africa, s Asia
Etymology: (J. Minuart, Spanish botanist & pharmacist, 1693–1768)
Reference: [McNeill 1980 Rhodora 82: 495–502]
| Native |
Annual, simple or branched, 1–5 cm, slender, green, glabrous; taproot thread-like
Stem spreading to erect
Leaves 1.5–5 mm, 0.2–1.5 mm wide, << internode, awl-shaped to lanceolate, ± straight, flexible, ± evenly spaced; axillary leaves 0
Flower: sepals 1.5–3.5 mm, acute to acuminate; margin not incurved, ribs 1, sometimes 3; petals 0.5–1 X sepals or 0
Seed 0.4–0.7 mm; margin thick, purplish brown
Ecology: Plains, open pine forest, chaparral slopes
Elevation: 0–2400 m.
Bioregional distribution: North Coast, Klamath Ranges, Inner North Coast Ranges, High Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, s Inner South Coast Ranges (Caliente Range), Peninsular Ranges
Distribution outside California: to Washington
Synonyms: Arenaria p. S. Watson