Arenaria serpyllifolia var. serpyllifolia
Thymeleaf sandwort
Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: annual · Not Native
Thymeleaf sandwort is a naturalized annual found in northwestern California, northern Sierra Nevada foothills, southern California, and the Modoc Plateau in disturbed areas, sandy environments, and dry woodlands at elevations of 150 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from spring to summer, this plant produces small white flowers in terminal clusters with delicate pedicels 1 to 12 millimeters long. Growing with tufted or trailing green stems 3 to 25 centimeters tall, covered in minute down-curved hairs. Its leaves are small, approximately 2 to 7 millimeters long and 1 to 4 millimeters wide, with ovate shapes and typically 3 to 5 visible veins. The plant produces 10 to 15 plump, widely reniform seeds approximately 0.5 to 0.6 millimeters long, with low, elongate tubercles and a grayish appearance.
Habitat: Disturbed areas, sand, gravel bars, dry woodland
Bloom period: Spring-summer
Elevation: 150-1800 m
Bioregions: NW, n&c SNF, SCo, MP
California counties: Humboldt, Los Angeles, Siskiyou, Trinity, Sierra, Tehama, Lake, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tuolumne
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.