Herniaria hirsuta |
Herniaria hirsuta var. cinerea |
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hairy rupturewort, Herniaria |
hairy rupturewort, Herniaria |
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Habit | Plants annual, gray-green, densely pubescent. | |||||
Stems | prostrate to ascending, 4–20 cm. |
5–20 cm. |
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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. |
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Inflorescences | axillary, leaf-opposed or on short branches, mostly 3–8-flowered. |
3–8-flowered. |
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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. |
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Seeds | 0.5–0.6 mm. |
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Utricles | 0.7–0.9 mm, ca. equaling sepals. |
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2n | = 18, 36 (Europe). |
= 36 (Europe). |
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Herniaria hirsuta |
Herniaria hirsuta var. cinerea |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–fall. | |||||
Habitat | Disturbed areas, alkaline hills, clay flats | |||||
Elevation | 40-800 m (100-2600 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
AZ; CA; MA; MD; OR; Eurasia; Africa
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AZ; CA; MD; OR; s Europe; sw Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America] |
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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.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 5. | FNA vol. 5, p. 44. | ||||
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Herniaria | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Herniaria > Herniaria hirsuta | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
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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