Plant Image
Flowers


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Spergularia salina - salt sandspurry

Synonyms: Spergularia marina, S. leiosperma, S. sparsiflora, S. tenuis var. involucrata, Tissa marina, Tissa tenuis
Other Common Names: saltmarsh sandspurry
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Caryophyllaceae


   
 
line decor
  Home   Plant Communities Plant List Search Forbs and Subshrubs Search Grasses Search Woody Plants Additional Resources About this Website
line decor
 

Click on Any Image for a Larger View

Leaves
William Thomas @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Plant
Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium, Usage Rights: CC BY-NC (Attribution-Non-Commercial)
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Annual, biennial or perennial   Similar Species: Spergularia media, S. rubra
General Desc: Delicate, slender roots; glandular; stems erect to trailing, usually much branched; leaves narrow, inconspicuous dull white stipules; flowers single in leaf axils or clusters of 3 or more at top of plant, petals oval, white or pink to purplish-pink.
Identification notes: Stems erect to trailing along ground; narrow, fleshy, opposite leaves; stipules present; widely branched terminal clusters of conspicuous pink flowers, or single flowers in leaf axils; styles 3 to 5, usually distinct to the base; fruit a capsule.
Height: 3 to 8 inches


Habitat

Habitat Description: Mud flats, alkaline fields, sandy river bottoms, sandy coasts, salt marshes, saline highway edges.
Plant Communities: Desert Scrub,
Elevation: 2500 - 3500 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: White, pink, purplish-pink     Shape: Regular in round clusters     Tubular: N     Flowering Period: Mar - Jun
Description: Sepals have united lobes, often 3-veined, oval-like to elliptic, to twice as long as wide, to 1 times as long as sepals; tip pointed to rounded; stamens commonly 2 to 5, styles 3, very short.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Narrow     Leaf Margin: Smooth     Leaf Attachment: Opposite     Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: Leaves and stems     Spines: N
Leaf Description: Leaves stalkless, to 1-1/2 inches long, <1/16 inch wide, linear, bristle-tipped, 1-veined, fleshy.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Light brown to yellowish-brown   
Fruit Type: Capsule
Fruit Notes: Opens into 3 spreading segments, egg-shaped, glandular.
Seed Notes: Seeds many, light brown.



  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
Legal Disclaimer