Pseudostellaria sierrae
Encyclopedia
Pseudostellaria sierrae is a species of flowering plant in the pink family
known by the common name Sierra starwort.
network with vertical, thick-tipped roots. The stem is hairless and grows up to about 27 centimeters in maximum height. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 3 centimeters long and hairless but rough along the edges.
The inflorescence
is a solitary flower at the tip of the stem, or arising from an upper leaf axil. The flower has five white petals, each with a sharp, narrow notch in the tip. There are five long stamen
s with yellow anthers.
, where it is known only from the woodlands and forests of the Sierra Nevada. It was first collected before 1900 but not described to science until 2002.
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 Sierra starwort.
Description
It is a perennial herb growing from a rhizomeRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
network with vertical, thick-tipped roots. The stem is hairless and grows up to about 27 centimeters in maximum height. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 3 centimeters long and hairless but rough along the edges.
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 solitary flower at the tip of the stem, or arising from an upper leaf axil. The flower has five white petals, each with a sharp, narrow notch in the tip. There are five long stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s with yellow anthers.
Distribution
It is endemic to CaliforniaCalifornia
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...
, where it is known only from the woodlands and forests of the Sierra Nevada. It was first collected before 1900 but not described to science until 2002.