Arenaria

Arenaria ciliata, from here.

Belongs within: Caryophyllaceae.

Arenaria, the sandworts, is a genus of herbaceous plants found in northern temperate regions, with species also in montane South America.

Characters (from Hartman, Rabeler & Utech): Plants annual or perennial, sometimes densely matted. Taproots filiform to moderately thickened; rhizomes slender. Stems prostrate to ascending or erect, simple or branched, terete to ellipsoid, angular or grooved. Leaves mostly connate, mostly sessile, not congested at or near base of flowering stem; blade 1- or 3-5-veined, rarely linear or linear-lanceolate to usually elliptic to ovate or rarely orbiculate, sometimes subsucculent or succulent, apex blunt or obtuse to acute, acuminate, or apiculate. Inflorescences terminal or axillary open cymes, or flowers solitary; bracts paired, smaller, foliaceous. Pedicels erect or ascending to reflexed in fruit. Flowers: perianth and androecium hypogynous; sepals 5, distinct or barely connate proximally, green or rarely distally purple, lanceolate to broadly ovate, 2-5 mm, margins foliaceous or white and scarious, apex obtuse to rounded or acute to acuminate, not hooded; petals 5 or absent, white, not clawed, blade apex entire; nectaries at base of filaments opposite sepals; stamens 10 (rarely ca. 8), arising from base of ovary; filaments distinct; staminodes absent; styles 3, filiform, 0.5-2 mm, glabrous proximally; stigmas 3, linear along adaxial surfaces of styles, papillate (30×). Capsules broadly ellipsoid or ovoid to cylindric, opening by 6 ascending to recurved teeth; carpophore absent. Seeds [1-]5-35, brown to dark brown or black, reniform or suborbicular, laterally compressed or not, shiny or dull, smooth, rugulose, or tuberculate, marginal wing absent, appendage absent. x = [7, 8?] 10, 11.

<==Arenaria
    |--A. aegaea PT98
    |--A. bryophylla O88
    |--A. ciliata C55b
    |--A. ciliolata O88
    |    |--A. c. var. ciliolata O88
    |    `--A. c. var. pendula O88
    |--A. debilis O88
    |--A. densissima O88
    |--A. depauperata O88
    |--A. edgeworthiana O88
    |--A. glanduligera O88
    |    |--A. g. var. glanduligera O88
    |    `--A. g. var. cernua O88
    |--A. globiflora O88
    |--A. grandiflora C55a
    |--A. kansuensis O88
    |--A. lanuginosa J87
    |--A. laricifolia C55a
    |--A. leptoclados (Reichenb.) Gussone 1845 PL04
    |--A. melandryiformis O88
    |--A. melandryoides O88
    |--A. mukerjeeana O88
    |--A. orbiculata O88
    |--A. paramelanandra O88
    |--A. polytrichoides O88
    |--A. pulvinata O88
    |--A. roseiflora O88
    |--A. rubra C55a
    |--A. serpyllifolia C55b
    `--A. serpylloides D03
         |--A. s. var. serpylloides D03
         `--A. s. var. andicola D03

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[C55a] Candolle, A. de. 1855a. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 1. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.

[C55b] Candolle, A. de. 1855b. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 2. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.

[D03] Dusén, P. 1903. The vegetation of western Patagonia. In Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, 1896-1899, vol. 8 – Botany (W. B. Scott, ed.) pp. 1-34. The University: Princeton (New Jersey).

[J87] Judd, W. S. 1987. Floristic study of Morne La Visite and Pic Macaya National Parks, Haiti. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum – Biological Sciences 32 (1): 1-136.

[O88] Ohba, H. 1988. The alpine flora of the Nepal Himalayas: An introductory note. In The Himalayan Plants vol. 1 (H. Ohba & S. B. Malla, eds) The University Museum, University of Tokyo, Bulletin 31: 19-46.

[PT98] Panitsa, M., & D. Tzanoudakis. 1998. Contribution to the study of the Greek flora: Flora and vegetation of the E Aegean islands Agathonisi and Pharmakonisi. Willdenowia 28: 95-116.

[PL04] Pohl, G., & I. Lenski. 2004. Zur Verbreitung und Vergesellschaftung von Pennisetum orientale Rich. in Nordeuböa (Griechenland) (Poaceae, Paniceae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 83 (2): 209-223.