Sabulina verna

(Redirected from Minuartia verna)

Sabulina verna is a scarce species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, known by the common names spring sandwort, leadwort,[2] golden moss, or Irish moss.[3] It is a small mat-forming, perennial herb.[4] It was first described as Arenaria verna by Carl Linnaeus in 1767 and is known by several synonyms including Minuartia verna.[1]

Sabulina verna
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Sabulina
Species:
S. verna
Binomial name
Sabulina verna
(L.) Rchb. (1832)
Subspecies
  • Sabulina verna subsp. brevipetala (Hartvig & Å.Strid) Dillenb. & Kadereit
  • Sabulina verna subsp. grandiflora (C.Presl) Dillenb. & Kadereit
  • Sabulina verna subsp. hercynica (Willk.) Dillenb. & Kadereit
  • Sabulina verna subsp. kabylica (Pomel) Dillenb. & Kadereit
  • Sabulina verna subsp. verna
Synonyms[1]
  • Alsine verna (L.) Wahlenb. (1812)
  • Alsine verna var. montana Fenzl (1841), not validly publ.
  • Arenaria verna L. (1767)
  • Cherleria verna (L.) Samp. (1913)
  • Minuartia verna (L.) Hiern (1899)
  • Tryphane verna (L.) Rchb. (1841)

The small (7–9 mm across), 5-petalled flowers appear on short, downy stems from spring until late summer. The slender leaves have 3 veins.[5]

It ranges across temperate Eurasia and northwestern Africa[1] with a boreal-montane distribution. It is typically found on carboniferous limestone ground. It grows in short grassland, on exposed limestone pavement, on scree slopes and on metal-rich soils, including spoil heaps from lead mining.[4]

Subspecies

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Five subspecies are accepted.[1]

  • Sabulina verna subsp. brevipetala (Hartvig & Å.Strid) Dillenb. & Kadereit – Turkey
  • Sabulina verna subsp. grandiflora (C.Presl) Dillenb. & Kadereit – Sardinia and Sicily
  • Sabulina verna subsp. hercynica (Willk.) Dillenb. & Kadereit – Belgium, France, and Germany
  • Sabulina verna subsp. kabylica (Pomel) Dillenb. & Kadereit – northwestern Africa (Morocco and Algeria)
  • Sabulina verna subsp. verna – Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Japan, and the eastern Himalayas.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Sabulina verna (L.) Rchb. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Minuartia verna | spring sandwort". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  3. ^ Bluestone Perennials: Arenaria verna 'Aurea' Archived September 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b "Sabulina verna (L.) Rchb". Online Atlas of the British and Irish flora. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  5. ^ Sterry, Paul (2006). Collins Complete Guide to British Wild Flowers. HarperCollins. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-00-723684-8.