Sagina procumbens

Matted pearlwort, Matted Pearlwort

Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Matted pearlwort is a naturalized perennial herb found in coastal California regions including North and Central Coast areas in wet, gravelly or sandy soils, roadsides, and disturbed areas at elevations below 15 meters. Flowering from late spring to early fall, this plant produces tiny white flowers in delicate clusters with thread-like pedicels that curve during flowering. Growing with slender, generally decumbent to ascending stems 2 to 18 centimeters tall, it frequently forms sterile basal rosettes that spread across the ground. Its leaves are narrow and linear, measuring 3 to 10 millimeters long, with compact blade structures that complement its low-growing habit. Sterile basal clusters often accompany the plant, creating a matted, spreading appearance across disturbed ground surfaces.

Habitat: Wet, gravelly or sandy soil, roadsides, disturbed areas

Bloom period: Late spring-early fall

Elevation: < 15 m

Bioregions: NCo, CCo

California counties: Alameda, Humboldt, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Diego, Los Angeles, Marin, Napa, Sacramento, Siskiyou, Butte, Tehama, Mendocino, Del Norte, Solano, Alpine, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Contra Costa, Monterey

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