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beach sand-spurrey, beach sand-spurry, sticky sand spurry, sticky sand-spurrey

Canada sand-spurrey, Canada sand-spurry, Canadian sand-spurrey, Canadian sand-spurry

Habit Plants strongly perennial with branched, woody base, stout, 5–40 cm, densely stipitate-glandular in inflorescence or throughout. Plants annual, delicate to stout, 3–25 cm, glabrous or stipitate-glandular throughout or only in inflorescence.
Taproots

becoming stout, woody.

slender.

Stems

erect or ascending to prostrate, usually branched proximally;

main stem 0.8–3 mm diam. proximally.

prostrate or decumbent to erect, usually branched proximally;

main stem usually 0.4–1.8 mm diam. proximally.

Leaves

stipules conspicuous, dull white to tan, narrowly triangular, 4.5–11 mm, apex long-acuminate;

blade linear, (0.6–)1–5.5 cm, fleshy, apex apiculate to spine-tipped;

axillary leaves 1–2+ per cluster.

stipules inconspicuous, dull white, broadly triangular, 1–2.8 mm, apex obtuse to acute;

blade linear, 1.5–4.5 cm, fleshy, apex ± blunt;

axillary leaf clusters mostly absent.

Pedicels

erect, divergent, or reflexed in fruit.

reflexed in fruit.

Flowers

sepals connate 0.5–1.8 mm proximally, lobes often 3-veined, ovate to lanceolate, 4.5–7 mm, to 8 mm in fruit, margins 0.3–0.7 mm wide, apex blunt to rounded;

petals white or pink to rosy, elliptic to obovate, 0.9–1.3 times as long as sepals in flower;

stamens 9–10;

styles 0.6–3 mm.

sepals connate 0.5–0.6 mm proximally, lobes weakly 1-veined, ovate to elliptic-oblong, 2.2–3.5 mm, to 4.3–4.5 mm in fruit, margins 0.2–0.5 mm wide, apex ± acute to rounded;

petals white or pink, narrowly ovate, 0.9–1 times as long as sepals;

stamens 2–4;

styles 0.3–0.7 mm.

Capsules

tan, 4.6–10 mm, 0.8–1.4 times as long as sepals.

greenish, 3.5–5.3 mm, 1.2–2 times as long as sepals.

Seeds

± red-brown, often with submarginal groove or depression, suborbiculate to pyriform, compressed, (0.6–)0.7–1.2 mm, smooth to faintly or prominently tuberculate or sculpturing of parallel, wavy lines or of low, rounded mounds, not papillate;

wing absent or white to reddish brown proximally, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, margins irregular.

reddish brown, submarginal groove absent, broadly ovate, compressed, 0.9–1.4 mm, shiny, ± smooth, papillate;

wing absent or often present, whitish, 0.2–0.3 mm wide, margins irregular.

Cymes

simple to 3-compound or flowers solitary and axillary.

simple to 2+-compound or flowers solitary and axillary.

Spergularia macrotheca

Spergularia canadensis

Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC; including nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; CT; MA; ME; NH; NY; OR; RI; WA; BC; NB; NF; NS; NU; ON; PE; QC; Coastal North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Petals pink to rosy; styles 0.6-1.2 mm
var. macrotheca
1. Petals white; styles 1.2-3 mm
→ 2
2. Capsules 1.2-1.4 times as long as sepals; styles 1.2-1.9 mm
var. leucantha
2. Capsules 0.8-1 times as long as sepals; styles 2-3 mm
var. longistyla
1. Capsules 1.5-2 times as long as sepals; sepals 2.2-3.2 mm, to 4.5 mm in fruit, apex broadly rounded; stems prostrate or decumbent; plants glabrous except pedicels rarely stipitate-glandular
var. canadensis
1. Capsules 1.2-1.3 times as long as sepals; sepals 2.5-3.5 mm, to 4.3 mm in fruit, apex ± acute to narrowly obtuse; stems widely spreading to erect; plants glabrous or stipitate-glandular
var. occidentalis
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 18. FNA vol. 5, p. 20.
Parent taxa Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Polycarpoideae > Spergularia Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Polycarpoideae > Spergularia
Sibling taxa
S. atrosperma, S. bocconi, S. canadensis, S. diandra, S. echinosperma, S. media, S. platensis, S. rubra, S. salina, S. villosa
S. atrosperma, S. bocconi, S. diandra, S. echinosperma, S. macrotheca, S. media, S. platensis, S. rubra, S. salina, S. villosa
Subordinate taxa
S. macrotheca var. leucantha, S. macrotheca var. longistyla, S. macrotheca var. macrotheca
S. canadensis var. canadensis, S. canadensis var. occidentalis
Synonyms Arenaria macrotheca Arenaria canadensis
Name authority (Hornemann ex Chamisso & Schlechtendal) Heynhold: Alph. Aufz. Gew. 689. (1846) (Persoon) G. Don: Gen. Hist. 1: 426. (1831)
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