Spergularia canadensis
Encyclopedia
Spergularia canadensis is a species of flowering plant in the pink family
known by the common name Canadian sandspurry. It is native to North America where it is known from mainly coastal habitat along the coastline of Canada and northern parts of the United States, from Alaska
to northern California
on the west and as far south as New York
in the east. It is a plant of wet, often saline substrates, such as beaches, salt marsh
es, and brackish
estuaries
. It is an annual herb producing a slender or thick stem up to 25 centimeters long. It is lined with fleshy linear leaves up to 4.5 centimeters long. Flowers occur in an inflorescence
at the end of the stem as well as in leaf axils. The small flowers have five pointed sepal
s and five oval white or pink petals. The fruit is a capsule containing shiny reddish brown seeds.
Caryophyllaceae
The Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae and Polygonaceae...
known by the common name Canadian sandspurry. It is native to North America where it is known from mainly coastal habitat along the coastline of Canada and northern parts of the United States, from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on the west and as far south as New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the east. It is a plant of wet, often saline substrates, such as beaches, salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es, and brackish
Brackish water
Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salty"...
estuaries
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
. It is an annual herb producing a slender or thick stem up to 25 centimeters long. It is lined with fleshy linear leaves up to 4.5 centimeters long. Flowers occur in an inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
at the end of the stem as well as in leaf axils. The small flowers have five pointed sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and five oval white or pink petals. The fruit is a capsule containing shiny reddish brown seeds.