Spergularia atrosperma
Encyclopedia
Spergularia atrosperma is a species of flowering plant in the pink family
known by the common name blackseed sandspurry. It is native to California
and Nevada
, where it grows in muddy and sandy habitat, often in moist alkaline substrates. It is a small annual herb producing a slender stem up to 15 centimeters long. It is lined with fleshy linear leaves. The inflorescence
bears small flowers with five pointed sepal
s and five oval white or pink petals. The fruit is a capsule containing shiny, sometimes iridescent, black seeds.
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 blackseed sandspurry. It is native to 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 Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, where it grows in muddy and sandy habitat, often in moist alkaline substrates. It is a small annual herb producing a slender stem up to 15 centimeters long. It is lined with fleshy linear leaves. 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...
bears small flowers with five 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 and five oval white or pink petals. The fruit is a capsule containing shiny, sometimes iridescent, black seeds.