Sagina maxima subsp. crassicaulis

Thick-stemmed pearlwort, Thick-Stemmed Pearlwort

Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Thick-stemmed pearlwort is a California native perennial found in the northern and central coastal regions in sandy bluffs and rock crevices at elevations below 30 meters. Flowering from spring to early fall, this plant produces small white flowers with petals approximately three-quarters the length of its sepals. Growing 3 to 18 centimeters tall with spreading to decumbent stems, it forms distinctive sterile basal rosettes with fleshy, widely linear leaves. Its leaves are particularly notable, measuring 7 to 22 millimeters long and appearing thick and succulent. Producing tiny red-brown seeds that are plump and slightly reniform, the plant forms dense, low-growing clusters in coastal habitats.

Habitat: Sandy bluffs, rock crevices

Bloom period: Spring-early fall

Elevation: < 30 m

Bioregions: NCo, CCo

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