Friday, 11 March 2016

Sand spurrey



Sand spurrey (Spergularia rubra) is found on sandy and lime-free ground in much of Great Britain, although it is absent in Scotland and Ireland. It is the only species of spurrey that grows inland in Britain.

It is a sprawling plant with many stems, some of which branch. It grows to anything from two to ten inches above the ground and flowers from May to October.

The leaves are pointed with triangular silver-brown stipules growing at the base of the leaf stalk. The flowers are pink and star-shaped, with five undivided petals that are slightly smaller than the sepals.

The fruit is about as long as the sepals and opens by means of three valves.


© John Welford

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