OregonFlora: Spergularia macrotheca vs. Spergularia

	Spergularia macrotheca	Spergularia
	beach sand-spurrey, sticky sand-spurrey	sand-spurrey
Habit		Plants annual or perennial.
Stems		erect to sprawling.
Leaves		opposite; axillary clusters often present, 2–4+ per node; thread-like to linear; petioles 0; stipules 2 per node, lanceolate to broadly triangular, not partially fused to leaf bases, scarious.
Inflorescences		terminal cymes or flowers solitary and axillary; flowers few to many; bracts present.
Flowers		bisexual; sepals 5, basally united 20% of their length, glabrous to glandular-hairy; spurs 0; petals 5; entire; stamens 2–10, arising on hypanthium rim; staminodes 0; styles and stigmas 3.
Fruits		capsules, opening by 3 spreading valves.
Seeds		30–150+; spherical to angular, 0.4–1.1 mm, brown, red-brown, or black; smooth, sculptured, papillate or not, often winged.

	Spergularia macrotheca	Spergularia
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[BONAP county map]
Discussion		Central America, Mediterranean region, western North America, South America. ~60 species; 5 species treated in Flora. Reports of two species of Spergularia from Oregon are based on collections from ballast near Portland between 1902 and 1916. Spergularia bocconi is most similar to S. rubra and is distinguished by having moderately fleshy leaves, dull, white to tan, deltate, somewhat inconspicuous stipules, and light brown seeds. Spergularia villosa is a woody-based perennial similar to S. macrotheca, differing in having shorter sepals and styles and smaller seeds. A third species, Spergularia media, was collected from ballast in 1902, and Rossbach (1940) cited a specimen (Nelson 2355, GH) from a salt marsh near Toledo in 1918. It would also key near S. rubra but has fleshy leaves and larger (0.8–1.1 mm) seeds, which are smooth and usually winged. Each of the species is known from California and might be expected to reappear in saline areas of Oregon.
Source		Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 576 Rich Rabeler, Ronald Hartman
Sibling taxa	S. bocconi, S. canadensis, S. diandra, S. marina, S. media, S. rubra, S. villosa
Subordinate taxa	S. macrotheca var. macrotheca	S. bocconi, S. canadensis, S. diandra, S. macrotheca, S. marina, S. media, S. rubra, S. villosa
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 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, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Spergularia

beach sand-spurrey, sticky sand-spurrey

sand-spurrey

Habit

Plants annual or perennial.

Stems

erect to sprawling.

Leaves

opposite; axillary clusters often present, 2–4+ per node; thread-like to linear;

petioles 0;

stipules 2 per node, lanceolate to broadly triangular, not partially fused to leaf bases, scarious.

Inflorescences

terminal cymes or flowers solitary and axillary;

flowers few to many;

bracts present.

Flowers

bisexual;

sepals 5, basally united 20% of their length, glabrous to glandular-hairy;

spurs 0;

petals 5; entire;

stamens 2–10, arising on hypanthium rim;

staminodes 0;

styles and stigmas 3.

Fruits

capsules, opening by 3 spreading valves.

Seeds

30–150+; spherical to angular, 0.4–1.1 mm, brown, red-brown, or black; smooth, sculptured, papillate or not, often winged.

Spergularia

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Central America, Mediterranean region, western North America, South America. ~60 species; 5 species treated in Flora.

Reports of two species of Spergularia from Oregon are based on collections from ballast near Portland between 1902 and 1916. Spergularia bocconi is most similar to S. rubra and is distinguished by having moderately fleshy leaves, dull, white to tan, deltate, somewhat inconspicuous stipules, and light brown seeds. Spergularia villosa is a woody-based perennial similar to S. macrotheca, differing in having shorter sepals and styles and smaller seeds. A third species, Spergularia media, was collected from ballast in 1902, and Rossbach (1940) cited a specimen (Nelson 2355, GH) from a salt marsh near Toledo in 1918. It would also key near S. rubra but has fleshy leaves and larger (0.8–1.1 mm) seeds, which are smooth and usually winged. Each of the species is known from California and might be expected to reappear in saline areas of Oregon.