Spergularia macrotheca var. leucantha

Sticky sandspurry

Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Sticky sandspurry is a California native perennial found in the Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, southern California Coast, and Mojave Desert in alkaline soils, floodplains, vernal pools, and marshy ground at elevations below 800 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces delicate white flowers with petals nestled in calyces 4.5 to 5.5 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall, it forms compact clusters in wet, saline environments. Its small leaves are densely clustered, creating a fine, intricate texture across the plant's low-growing form. The fruits are slightly longer than the calyx, containing tiny seeds approximately 0.7 to 0.8 millimeters in size.

Habitat: Alkaline soils, floodplains, vernal pools, meadows, marshy ground

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 800 m

Bioregions: GV, SnFrB, SCoRO, SCo, DMoj.

California counties: Riverside, Fresno, Kern, Merced, Orange, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter, Tulare, Ventura, Yolo, Glenn, Yuba, Contra Costa, Napa, Los Angeles, Kings, Colusa, Alameda, San Diego, Madera, Monterey, Santa Cruz

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