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hairy rupturewort, Herniaria

Photo is of parent taxon

hairy rupturewort, Herniaria

Habit Plants annual, gray-green, densely pubescent.
Stems

prostrate to ascending, 4–20 cm.

5–20 cm.

Leaves

opposite proximally, often alternate distally;

stipules 0.5–1.3 mm;

blade elliptic to oblanceolate, 3–12 mm, hirsute or ciliate, adaxial surface sometimes glabrescent.

Inflorescences

axillary, leaf-opposed or on short branches, mostly 3–8-flowered.

3–8-flowered.

Flowers

0.9–1.8 mm, densely pubescent;

calyx burlike;

sepals equal or somewhat unequal, 0.8–1.5 mm, hirsute, hairs of perigynous zone hooked or tightly coiled, each sepal with 1–2 spinelike hairs at apex;

stamens 2–3 or 5;

staminodes petaloid, 0.4–0.6 mm;

styles distinct or connate in proximal 1/3.

1.2–1.8 mm, hairs of 2 sizes, long hairs 1/2–2/3 as long as sepals, short hairs 1/4–1/3 as long as sepals, tips of some or all hooked or tightly coiled;

hypanthium area pubescent, tips of hairs hooked or tightly coiled;

sepals in fruit ± unequal, of 2 lengths;

stamens 2–3;

styles distinct, 0.2–0.4 mm.

Seeds

0.5–0.6 mm.

Utricles

0.7–0.9 mm, ca. equaling sepals.

2n

= 18, 36 (Europe).

= 36 (Europe).

Herniaria hirsuta

Herniaria hirsuta var. cinerea

Phenology Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat Disturbed areas, alkaline hills, clay flats
Elevation 40-800 m (100-2600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; MA; MD; OR; Eurasia; Africa
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; MD; OR; s Europe; sw Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 4+ (2 in the flora).

We are following J. R. Akeroyd (1993) rather than M. N. Chaudhri (1968) in treating Herniaria cinerea as an infraspecific taxon of H. hirsuta. We believe it more appropriate to recognize the differences at varietal level; intermediate conditions found in both European and North American populations weaken the distinctions.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Historical collections of var. cinerea are known from New York (1890s) and Wisconsin (1870). It was also collected once in Washington in 1979 (C. T. Roché 1991) but did not persist.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Sepals in fruit of ± equal lengths; hairs on flowers of 1 size, 1/ 1/ 3 times sepals, tips of hairs ± straight, reduced or absent on hypanthium area; stamens usually 5
var. hirsuta
1. Sepals in fruit of 2 ± unequal lengths; hairs on flowers of 2 sizes, long one 1/ 2/ 3 times sepals, short ones 4- 3 times sepals, tips of some or all hairs hooked or tightly coiled; hypanthium area pubescent, hairs with hooked or tightly coiled tips;stamens 2-3
var. cinerea
Source FNA vol. 5. FNA vol. 5, p. 44.
Parent taxa Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Herniaria Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Herniaria > Herniaria hirsuta
Sibling taxa
H. glabra
H. hirsuta var. hirsuta
Subordinate taxa
H. hirsuta var. cinerea, H. hirsuta var. hirsuta
Synonyms H. cinerea, H. hirsuta subsp. cinerea
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 218. (1753) (de Candolle) Loret & Barrandon: Fl. Montpellier, 243. (1876)
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