Minuartia recurva


Minuartia recurva, the recurved sandwort or sickle-leaved sandwort, is a rare tufted, calcifugous chamaephyte perennial herb of the family Caryophyllaceae. It blooms from late spring to the end of summer.

Description

This perennial, densely tufted, hairy plant has a woody base and flowering stems up to in length. The stems are wiry and lignified, with acicular leaves with three veins, curving to the side to a greater of lesser extent. The flowers are grouped in glandular flower-heads, the individual flowers being white and five-petaled. The inflorescence is a 1–8-flowered cyme. Sepals are long with 5–7 veins and are ovate-lanceolate; petals are long and ovate. The fruit is an ovoid capsule up to in length.

Distribution

Minuartia recurva is found in mountainous regions of southern Europe and southwest Asia.
It is also found in Ireland's Caha Mountains, first noted there in 1964.

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