Sagina subulata

Sagina subulata
Plant in flower, Poland
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Sagina
Species: S. subulata
Binomial name
Sagina subulata
(Swartz) C.Presl

Sagina subulata (Heath Pearlwort[1] or Irish Moss; syn. Sagina pilifera auct. non (DC.) Fenzl) is a species of Sagina, native to Europe, from Iceland south to Spain, and east to southern Sweden and Romania. It occurs on dry sandy or gravelly soils.[2][3][4]

Description

Sagina subulata is commonly cultivated in walkways between paving stones

Heath Pearlwort is a low-growing prostrate perennial plant forming a thick, dense mat with stems less than 10 cm long, and slender subulate (awl-shaped) leaves up to 1 cm long. The flowers are 4–5 mm diameter, with five white petals the same length as the green sepals; they are produced singly on erect stems 2–4 cm long. The seeds are smooth, brown, triangular shaped, 0.4–0.5 mm, produced in a capsule 2.5–3 mm long.[4][5][6]

Varieties

There are two varieties, Sagina subulata var. subulata with glandular-hairy sepals, and Sagina subulata var. glabrata Gillot with hairless sepals; the latter is often a lawn weed, and has been confused with the related Mediterranean species Sagina pilifera.[4][7] The cultivar 'Aurea' (referred to as Scottish or Scotch Moss in the horticultural trade) is grown as a garden plant.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "BSBI List 2007" (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. ↑ Flora Europaea: Sagina subulata
  3. ↑ Den virtuella floran: Sagina subulata (in Swedish, with maps)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Flora of NW Europe: Sagina subulata
  5. ↑ Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN 0-340-40170-2
  6. ↑ Sagina subulata
  7. ↑ Flora of Northern Ireland: Sagina subulata
  8. ↑ Horticopia: Sagina subulata 'Aurea'

External links

Media related to Sagina subulata at Wikimedia Commons