Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Caryophyllales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Arenaria serpyllifolia
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Large Thymeleaf Sandwort at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
The relative ranges, habitats, and abundance of the A. leptoclados and A. serpyllifolia are poorly known; additional herbarium work is needed. Read more in Weakley's Flora (2022)
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Arenaria serpyllifolia
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Arenaria serpyllifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2015)
Arenaria serpyllifolia var. serpyllifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen, 2011)
Arenaria serpyllifolia ssp. serpyllifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5 (2005)
Arenaria serpyllifolia var. serpyllifolia
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 071-11-002:
Arenaria serpyllifolia FAMILY Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Arenaria serpyllifolia
COMMON NAME:
Large Thymeleaf Sandwort
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_arse2_001_lvd
)
Joseph M. DiTomaso, University of California - Davis, Bugwood.org bug_5374814
Month Unknown
Leaves ovate, 3-8mm long, 1-4mm wide, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
)
Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org bug_5416786
Month Unknown
)
Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org bug_5416797
Month Unknown
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Arenaria serpyllifolia
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Arenaria serpyllifolia
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Arenaria serpyllifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2015)
Arenaria serpyllifolia var. serpyllifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen, 2011)
Arenaria serpyllifolia ssp. serpyllifolia
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5
Arenaria serpyllifolia var. serpyllifolia
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 071-11-002:
Arenaria serpyllifolia
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Arenaria serpyllifolia
3205
Forb
Annual
Habitat: Disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Eurasia
Common in Carolina Mountains & Carolina Coastal Plain (uncommon elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
LEAVES:
Simple
Opposite, often connate basally
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White
Radially symmetrical
5-merous
5 sepals
5 petals
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p128
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p054
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p077
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p042
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".