Polycarpon depressum
Encyclopedia
Polycarpon depressum is a species of flowering plant in the pink family
known by the common name California manyseed. It is native to southern California
and Baja California
, where it grows in sandy habitat such as coastal bluffs and disturbed habitat types such as fields and roadsides. It is a small annual herb producing a spreading, branching stem just a few centimeters long that lies prostrate on the ground. A few pairs of oppositely arranged leaves line the stems, each oval in shape narrowing to a petiole
and measuring about a centimeter long. The inflorescence
is a cluster of rounded flowers with minute petals tucked inside a calyx of pointed sepal
s.
Caryophyllaceae
The Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae and Polygonaceae...
known by the common name California manyseed. It is native to southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it grows in sandy habitat such as coastal bluffs and disturbed habitat types such as fields and roadsides. It is a small annual herb producing a spreading, branching stem just a few centimeters long that lies prostrate on the ground. A few pairs of oppositely arranged leaves line the stems, each oval in shape narrowing to a petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
and measuring about a centimeter long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a cluster of rounded flowers with minute petals tucked inside a calyx of pointed sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s.