Sabulina verna is a scarce species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, known by the common names spring sandwort, leadwort,[2] golden moss, or Irish moss.[3] It is a small mat-forming, perennial herb.[4] It was first described as Arenaria verna by Carl Linnaeus in 1767 and is known by several synonyms including Minuartia verna.[1]
| Sabulina verna | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Caryophyllaceae |
| Genus: | Sabulina |
| Species: | S. verna
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sabulina verna | |
| Subspecies | |
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
The small (7–9 mm across), 5-petalled flowers appear on short, downy stems from spring until late summer. The slender leaves have 3 veins.[5]
It ranges across temperate Eurasia and northwestern Africa[1] with a boreal-montane distribution. It is typically found on carboniferous limestone ground. It grows in short grassland, on exposed limestone pavement, on scree slopes and on metal-rich soils, including spoil heaps from lead mining.[4]
Subspecies
editFive subspecies are accepted.[1]
- Sabulina verna subsp. brevipetala (Hartvig & Å.Strid) Dillenb. & Kadereit – Turkey
- Sabulina verna subsp. grandiflora (C.Presl) Dillenb. & Kadereit – Sardinia and Sicily
- Sabulina verna subsp. hercynica (Willk.) Dillenb. & Kadereit – Belgium, France, and Germany
- Sabulina verna subsp. kabylica (Pomel) Dillenb. & Kadereit – northwestern Africa (Morocco and Algeria)
- Sabulina verna subsp. verna – Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Japan, and the eastern Himalayas.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Sabulina verna (L.) Rchb. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ "Minuartia verna | spring sandwort". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
- ^ Bluestone Perennials: Arenaria verna 'Aurea' Archived September 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Sabulina verna (L.) Rchb". Online Atlas of the British and Irish flora. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Sterry, Paul (2006). Collins Complete Guide to British Wild Flowers. HarperCollins. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-00-723684-8.
 | This Caryophyllaceae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |