Herniaria hirsuta

Hairy rupturewort

Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

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.

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

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.