OregonFlora: Spergula arvensis vs. Caryophyllaceae

	Spergula arvensis	Caryophyllaceae
	corn spurrey, stickwort	pink family
Habit		Herbs winter annual, annual, biennial, or perennial.
Stems	10–40+ cm, often branched at base, glabrous or usually glandular-hairy.	erect to prostrate.
Leaves	1–5 cm; margins often strongly revolute.	opposite, pseudoverticillate, whorled, or rarely alternate; simple; petioles often present; stipules present or 0.
Inflorescences	bracts often purplish; pedicels erect to ascending in flower, spreading to reflexed in fruit.	terminal or axillary cymes; thyrses, or capitula, or flowers 1; bracts foliaceous, scarious, or absent; involucel bracts (epicalyx) immediately subtending calyx occasionally present.
Flowers	sepals elliptic to ovate, 2.5–5 mm; petals elliptic to ovate, 2.5–4 mm.	bisexual or occasionally unisexual; radial; hypanthium; when present, urceolate; cup-, disk-, or dish-shaped, sometimes abruptly expanded distally; sepals 4 or 5; distinct or connate basally or into a cup or tube; petals (0)4 or 5; distinct; stamens 1–10; in 1 or 2 whorls, arising from base of ovary, nectariferous disk or hypanthium rim; staminodes usually 0 or 1–10; pistils 1; ovaries superior, 1-locular or rarely 2-locular proximally or 3–5 locular; placentas free-central; basal, or axile in proximal half; styles 1–5(6); distinct or connate proximally; stigmas 2–5(6), often linear along adaxial surface of styles (or branches).
Fruits		capsules or utricles; carpophore sometimes present.
Seeds		1–150(500), often laterally compressed, brown or black.
2n	=18, 36.

	Spergula arvensis	Caryophyllaceae
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[BONAP county map]
Discussion	Disturbed areas, cultivated fields, open fields, beaches. Flowering Apr–Jun. 0–400 m. Casc, CR, ECas, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, WA; scattered throughout much of northern North America; worldwide. Exotic.	Worldwide, especially in the Mediterranean region and North Temperate Zone. ~100 genera; 30 genera treated in Flora. Caryophyllaceae has traditionally been divided into three subfamilies: Paronychioideae (stipules present, sepals distinct), Alsinoideae (stipules absent, sepals mostly distinct), and Caryophylloideae (stipules absent, sepals connate into a cup or tube). Recent molecular studies have shown this scheme does not reflect phylogeny within the family; recognition of at least ten tribes is more realistic (see Harbaugh et al. 2010). Besides the taxa described below, species in two additional genera have been collected on ballast. Myosoton aquaticum, a native of Europe and Asia, was collected on ballast near Portland in 1902. It is similar to Stellaria media but has minute glandular hairs on both the stems and calyces as well as 5–6 styles and a capsule opening by 5–6 bifid valves. It is known from a few localities in Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia. Paronychia franciscana, a native of Chile known from around San Francisco Bay, has been collected on four occasions in Oregon, twice on ballast near Portland, twice in Curry County in 1924 and 1926. This plant is most similar to Cardionema ramosissimum but has sepals with a shorter awn (less than 1 mm) that are not densely woolly.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 576 Rich Rabeler, Ronald Hartman	Flora of Oregon, volume 1
Synonyms	Spergula arvensis ssp. arvensis, Spergula arvensis var. arvensis, Spergula arvensis var. sativa
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA, OR Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Caryophyllaceae

corn spurrey, stickwort

pink family

Habit

Herbs winter annual, annual, biennial, or perennial.

Stems

10–40+ cm, often branched at base, glabrous or usually glandular-hairy.

erect to prostrate.

Leaves

1–5 cm;

margins often strongly revolute.

opposite, pseudoverticillate, whorled, or rarely alternate; simple;

petioles often present;

stipules present or 0.

Inflorescences

bracts often purplish;

pedicels erect to ascending in flower, spreading to reflexed in fruit.

terminal or axillary cymes; thyrses, or capitula, or flowers 1;

bracts foliaceous, scarious, or absent;

involucel bracts (epicalyx) immediately subtending calyx occasionally present.

Flowers

sepals elliptic to ovate, 2.5–5 mm;

petals elliptic to ovate, 2.5–4 mm.

bisexual or occasionally unisexual; radial; hypanthium; when present, urceolate; cup-, disk-, or dish-shaped, sometimes abruptly expanded distally;

sepals 4 or 5; distinct or connate basally or into a cup or tube;

petals (0)4 or 5; distinct;

stamens 1–10; in 1 or 2 whorls, arising from base of ovary, nectariferous disk or hypanthium rim;

staminodes usually 0 or 1–10;

pistils 1;

ovaries superior, 1-locular or rarely 2-locular proximally or 3–5 locular; placentas free-central;

basal, or axile in proximal half;

styles 1–5(6); distinct or connate proximally;

stigmas 2–5(6), often linear along adaxial surface of styles (or branches).

Fruits

capsules or utricles; carpophore sometimes present.

Seeds

1–150(500), often laterally compressed, brown or black.

=18, 36.

Caryophyllaceae

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Disturbed areas, cultivated fields, open fields, beaches. Flowering Apr–Jun. 0–400 m. Casc, CR, ECas, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, WA; scattered throughout much of northern North America; worldwide. Exotic.

Worldwide, especially in the Mediterranean region and North Temperate Zone. ~100 genera; 30 genera treated in Flora.

Caryophyllaceae has traditionally been divided into three subfamilies: Paronychioideae (stipules present, sepals distinct), Alsinoideae (stipules absent, sepals mostly distinct), and Caryophylloideae (stipules absent, sepals connate into a cup or tube). Recent molecular studies have shown this scheme does not reflect phylogeny within the family; recognition of at least ten tribes is more realistic (see Harbaugh et al. 2010). Besides the taxa described below, species in two additional genera have been collected on ballast. Myosoton aquaticum, a native of Europe and Asia, was collected on ballast near Portland in 1902. It is similar to Stellaria media but has minute glandular hairs on both the stems and calyces as well as 5–6 styles and a capsule opening by 5–6 bifid valves. It is known from a few localities in Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia. Paronychia franciscana, a native of Chile known from around San Francisco Bay, has been collected on four occasions in Oregon, twice on ballast near Portland, twice in Curry County in 1924 and 1926. This plant is most similar to Cardionema ramosissimum but has sepals with a shorter awn (less than 1 mm) that are not densely woolly.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 576
Rich Rabeler, Ronald Hartman

Flora of Oregon, volume 1

Synonyms

Spergula arvensis ssp. arvensis, Spergula arvensis var. arvensis, Spergula arvensis var. sativa

Web links