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Rugel's nailwort, sand squares

squareflower

Habit Plants annual; taproot filiform to slender. Plants perennial (occasionally biennial), often matted; taproot stout.
Stems

erect, dichotomously branched, 5–50 cm, retrorsely to spreading- pubescent throughout.

prostrate to ascending, branched especially distally, retrorsely to spreading-pubescent throughout (when pubescent); flowering stems 8–48 cm;

sterile stems 2–10 cm.

Leaves

stipules ovate-lanceolate, 2–6 mm, apex acuminate, entire;

blade linear to linear-oblanceolate or linear-oblong, 3–25 × 1–2.3 mm, herbaceous, apex ± acute, moderately antrorsely puberulent.

stipules ovate-lanceolate, 2–12 mm, apex acuminate, entire;

blade linear to spatulate-oblanceolate, 4–40 × 1–4 mm, leathery, apex obtuse to acute, moderately antrorsely pubescent.

Flowers

5-merous, cylindric to narrowly lanceolate, with enlarged hypanthium and calyx cylindric to tapering distally, 2.3–3.5 mm, pubescent mostly proximal with hooked or usually straight hairs, sometimes with scattered straight hairs distally;

sepals flecked or solid red-brown, white distally, midrib obscure, linear-lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm, papery, margins white, 0.1–0.2 mm wide, papery, apex terminated by mucro, hood obscure, narrowly rounded, mucro short-conic, ca. 0.1 mm, glabrous;

staminodes filiform, widening proximally, 0.5–0.6 mm;

style 1, cleft in distal 1/10.

5-merous, narrowly ellipsoid, with slightly enlarged hypanthium and calyx tapering distally, 2.3–3.5 mm, glabrous to slightly puberulent proximally with straight to hooked hairs;

sepals red-brown, white or whitish distally, veins absent, narrowly oblong to lanceolate-oblong, 1.4–2 mm, papery, margins white, ca. 0.1 mm wide, papery, apex rounded, hood formed from slight incurving, awn or mucro absent;

staminodes narrowly oblong, 0.4 mm;

style 1, cleft in distal 1/10, 1.3–1.7 mm.

Cymes

terminal and lateral, 15–50+-flowered, often forming large, congested clusters 5–30 mm wide.

terminal, 15–200+-flowered, branched, densely to loosely grouped to form subcorymbose clusters 5–50 mm wide.

Utricles

broadly ellipsoid to ± globose, 0.5–0.7 mm, smooth, glabrous.

ovoid to ellipsoid, 1–1.2 mm, rugulose, glabrous.

Paronychia rugelii

Paronychia erecta

Phenology Flowering late spring–fall. Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat Woodlands, fields, clearings, roadsides, waste places Coastal dunes, sandflats, pine/oak woodlands
Elevation 0-200 m (0-700 ft) 0-100 m (0-300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; GA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; LA; MS
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

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

Plants with pubescent stems, strigose leaves, and pubescent receptacles have been recognized as var. corymbosa.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 41. FNA vol. 5, p. 37.
Parent taxa Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Paronychia Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Paronychia
Sibling taxa
P. ahartii, P. americana, P. argyrocoma, P. baldwinii, P. canadensis, P. chartacea, P. congesta, P. depressa, P. drummondii, P. echinulata, P. erecta, P. fastigiata, P. franciscana, P. herniarioides, P. jamesii, P. jonesii, P. lindheimeri, P. maccartii, P. monticola, P. patula, P. pulvinata, P. sessiliflora, P. setacea, P. virginica, P. wilkinsonii
P. ahartii, P. americana, P. argyrocoma, P. baldwinii, P. canadensis, P. chartacea, P. congesta, P. depressa, P. drummondii, P. echinulata, P. fastigiata, P. franciscana, P. herniarioides, P. jamesii, P. jonesii, P. lindheimeri, P. maccartii, P. monticola, P. patula, P. pulvinata, P. rugelii, P. sessiliflora, P. setacea, P. virginica, P. wilkinsonii
Synonyms Siphonychia rugelii, Gibbesia rugelii, Odontonychia interior, P. rugelii var. interior, Siphonychia interior Siphonychia erecta, Odontonychia corymbosa, Odontonychia erecta, P. erecta var. corymbosa
Name authority (Chapman) Shuttleworth ex Chapman: Fl. South. U.S. ed. 3, 397. (1897) (Chapman) Shinners: Sida 1: 102. (1962)
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