Coast Sand-spurrey

Photos of Coast Sand-spurrey

Family: Chickweed (Caryophyllaceae)

Scientific Name:

Spergularia media

Photo: Photo Gallery - Coast Sandspurrey

Coast Sand-spurrey
Photo: ex-Matters & Bozon

Other Common Names:

Greater Sand-spurrey, Greater Sea-spurrey

Status:

Native to Europe, western Asia and northern Africa. Naturalised in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and New Zealand.

Plant Description:

Small perennial plant with a woody rootstock and stems to 40 cm long, which sometimes have a purplish colouring. The fleshy, linear but flattened leaves grow around the segment joints, are about 1-3 cm long and 1-2 mm wide and pointed. Stipules 2.5-6 mm long and not acuminate. The plant is almost hairless except for the upper leaves. It has white to pale pink or lilac flowers with 5 petals and 5 sepals about 4-7 mm long; the petals being slightly longer. Normally with 10-11 stamens. Fruit capsules are slightly longer than the sepals and contain red-brown seeds, 0.6-1.1 mm long with a membranous wing.

Habitat:

Found in coastal situations and inland saline habitats on sandy loams and clay loams and occasionally on sands overlying clay.

Region	Salinity Class	Waterlogging Class
Loddon Murray, Central and Northern, Western, Gippsland	S0, S1, S2, S3	W2, W3

Comments:

A number of Sea- or Sand-spurrey species occur in Victoria and can be difficult to tell apart. A simplified key to Spergularia species can be accessed here – Key to species

Coast Sand-spurrey photos

Coast Sand-spurrey plant Photo: A J Brown	Leaves of Coast Sand-spurrey Photo: A J Brown
Calyx and ripening fruit of Coast Sand-spurrey Photo: A J Brown	Mature capsule and flower of Coast Sand-spurrey Photo: A J brown

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