Arenaria serpyllifolia L.

Locations ofArenaria serpyllifolia L. in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Caryophyllaceae
Botanical Name
Arenaria serpyllifolia L.
Common Name
Large Thyme-leaved Sandwort
Synonym(s)
Arenaria serpyllifolia L. var. serpyllifolia
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Arenaria serpyllifolia L.
Comments
The DA follows Flora of the Southeastern U.S. in mapping two species formerly recognized as vars. of Arenaria serpyllifolia, but only recently have Virginia botanists begun to separate the two; thus, the map of A. serpyllifolia probably contains many records of A. leptoclados, while the map of the latter is very incomplete. Whether or not to treat these as vars., ssp., or species has been controversial; the two taxa differ in calyx lobe vestiture, capsule morphology, and seed architecture, as well as ploidy level (2n = 40 in A. serpyllifolia vs. 2n = 20 in A. leptoclados). The morphological and ploidy differences seem more than sufficient for giving these taxa species rank, as has been the case in Europe for quite some time.
Habitat
Dry soil of woodlands, outcrops, fields, gravelly roadsides, lawns, and other weedy open habitats, often in barren soils recovering from disturbance. The status of this species has not yet been determined. Based on specimens identified thus far, it is probably frequent throughout.
Native Status
Introduced

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