Herniaria hirsuta
Hairy rupturewort
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Herniaria hirsuta (Hairy rupturewort) is a non-native California herb in the Caryophyllaceae family.
Hairy rupturewort is a naturalized annual herb found in disturbed areas with sparse vegetation at low elevations. Flowering from spring to summer, this plant produces tiny greenish-white flowers in small clusters of 3 to 8 blooms. Growing with dense, spreading stems 4 to 20 centimeters tall, it is characterized by short, nearly straight hairs covering its slender branches. Its small leaves measure 3 to 12 millimeters long with minimal stipules near the base of the plant. The fruit is minutely textured with a papillate surface and contains compact, slightly compressed seeds with a prominent marginal rim.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 0 sympatric species - geographically isolated
Habitat and range
California counties: Kern, Madera, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Butte, Fresno, Ventura, Plumas, Glenn, San Benito, San Diego, Monterey, Placer, Merced, San Joaquin, Mariposa, Tuolumne
How to tell it apart
vs Polycarpon: Herniaria has long hooked hairs and blunt sepals; Polycarpon has small white petals.; vs Paronychia: Herniaria sepals are blunt and green-edged; Paronychia has bristle-tipped white-edged sepals.; vs Cardionema: Herniaria lacks woolly coating; Cardionema is densely fuzzy-woolly.; vs Achyronychia: Herniaria has narrow blunt sepals; Achyronychia has broad rounded sepals.; vs Scopulophila: Herniaria is annual mat; Scopulophila is perennial with woolly base cushion.
Frequently asked questions
Is Herniaria hirsuta native to California?
No. Herniaria hirsuta is not native to California (recorded as not native).
Where in California does Herniaria hirsuta grow?
Herniaria hirsuta occurs in Kern, Madera, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Butte, Fresno and other counties.
What plant family does Herniaria hirsuta belong to?
Herniaria hirsuta is in the Caryophyllaceae family, genus Herniaria.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.