Scientific Family
Caryophyllaceae
Synonyms
Drymaria sperguloides, Arenaria molluginea, Alsine molluginea
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
To 12 Inches
Riparian
No
Inconspicuous herb with small white flowers which are deeply lobed and fringed at the tip; leaves appear to be whorled although they are actually a bunch of leaves growing crowded together.
Small annual herb, hairless or having some granules but not covered with a powdered coat, erect stems; simple or with opposite narrow leaves in whorl-like arrangements; white flowers with petals of variable shapes and sizes and fringed tips.
Habitat
Found in rocky to sandy soils, in open places.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Low elevation
4000
High elevation
8000
Flower Characteristics
Prominent mid-vein in sepals, arcing outward at mid-section; petals with up to 4 divisions, on thin pedicels in a branching flower head, each branch may bear a flower or flowers.
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Daisy or dandelion-like
Tubular
No
First bloom month
August
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Thin and narrow with a rounded or pointed tip, tending to cluster at the nodes in whorl-line arrangements, stipules (outgrowth on base of leaf stalk) present on basal leaves; no stem or short stem on blades; blades 1 inch long, 1/16 inch wide.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Rounded.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Dark brown to purplish
Horseshoe-shaped, 1/16 inch long; small bumps on surface.