Paronychia franciscana |
Paronychia herniarioides |
|
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California whitlow wort, San Francisco nailwort, San Francisco whitlow wort |
coastal-plain nailwort |
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Habit | Plants perennial, mat-forming; caudex branched, woody. | Plants annual, matted; taproot filiform. |
Stems | prostrate, usually much-branched throughout, 5–50 cm, pubescent. |
prostrate to erect, dichotomously branched, 3–20 cm, retrorsely to spreading- pubescent throughout. |
Leaves | stipules ovate-lanceolate, 3–6 mm, apex narrowly acute to long-acuminate, entire; blade elliptic to oblanceolate, 5–10 × 1.5–2.5 mm, ± fleshy, apex spinulous, entire, ± moderately antrorsely appressed-pubescent. |
stipules ovate-lanceolate, 0.5–7 mm, apex acuminate, entire; blade elliptic to oblong or ovate, or basal ones spatulate, 2–18 × 1–6 mm, herbaceous to leathery, apex mucronate to short-spine-tipped, moderately antrorsely pubescent. |
Inflorescences | diffuse, flowers solitary (paired) in axils of leafy bracts. |
|
Flowers | 5-merous, short-cylindric, with enlarged hypanthium and calyx cylindric to slightly tapering distally, 1.9–2.4 mm, glabrous, sepals puberulent distally; sepals greenish, becoming reddish brown, midrib and lateral pair of veins often apparent, oblong to ovate, 1.2–1.3 mm, herbaceous, margins translucent, ca. 0.1 mm wide, scarious, apex terminated by awn, hood broadly rounded, awn erect, 0.5–0.7 mm, conic in proximal 1/6 with whitish, smooth spine; staminodes absent; styles 2, 0.2–0.3 mm. |
5-merous, broadly ovoid, with enlarged hypanthium and calyx tapering distally, 2–2.3 mm, glabrous to strigose; sepals brownish to yellowish, veins absent, subulate to lanceolate, 1–1.7 mm, leathery to rigid, margins whitish, 0.03–0.1 mm wide, papery, apex terminated by awn, hood obscure, small flange, awn straight to slightly divergent, yellow, 0.3–0.4 mm, scabrous to antrorsely strigose, spinose; staminodes narrowly triangular, 0.2–0.3 mm; style 1, cleft in distal 1/8, 0.7–0.9 mm. |
Cymes | axillary, inconspicuous, 2–6-flowered, tightly congested. |
|
Utricles | ± globose to 4-angled, 1.2–1.3 mm, papillate distally. |
ellipsoid to subglobose, 0.5–0.8 mm, essentially smooth, glabrous. |
Paronychia franciscana |
Paronychia herniarioides |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring. | Flowering spring–fall. |
Habitat | Grassy hills | Sandy ridges, dunes, pine/oak woodland |
Elevation | 20-300 m (100-1000 ft) | 0-300 m (0-1000 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; South America (Chile) [Introduced in North America]
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FL; GA; NC; SC
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Discussion | Although Paronychia franciscana was described from California, where it has been known from the San Francisco area since 1887, the species is native in Chile. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 38. | FNA vol. 5, p. 38. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Paronychia | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Paronychia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Anychia herniarioides, Anychiastrum herniarioides, Gastronychia herniarioides | |
Name authority | Eastwood: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 288. (1901) | (Michaux) Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 1: 159. (1818) |
Web links |