Spurreys and Larger Pearlworts
What are they?
These plants are members of the large, Caryophyllaceae family, along with pinks, campions and their relatives. They are mostly rather small, often creeping or prostrate plants and typically have opposite leaves and pink or white, five-petalled flowers. The leaves are typically needle-like and succulent and are usually accompanied by translucent, papery stipules.
Where are they found?
These are mostly species of open, often sandy ground on heaths, tracks or in urban environments. Some species are plants of saltmarsh habitats, from where they have spread inland along the margins of larger roads where salt is applied in winter.
Identification
Habitat is a good starting point and will narrow your possibilities. After that, close attention needs to be paid to the presence or absence of hairs on stems and whether the hairs are glandular or not. Note: the pearlworts included on here are the larger species that tend to have flowers with five petals. Smaller pearlworts with no, or only four, petals can look similar in their leaves to these species and can be checked by clicking here.
Corn Spurrey Spergula arvensis
Native. A distinctive plant of acidic, sandy soils and often found in great abundance in unsprayed corners of root crop fields, though greatly declined due to the use of herbicides. Flowers June to August. A relatively large species, with stems sometimes to 60cm in length and leaves 1-4cm in length. Flower stems are angled downwards in bud and after flowering. The combination of brilliant white flowers above slender, succulent leaves in arable farmland habitats is distinctive.
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Greater Sea-spurrey Spergularia media
Native. Widespread in coastal saltmarshes and saline, muddy and sandy places. Flowers June to September. Flowers 10-12mm across (occasionally a little less), with very pale pink, almost white and relatively broad petals. Main stems hairless, upper stems with a few glandular hairs. Seeds often with a circular 'wing'. Less common than Lesser Sea-spurrey and less likely to be found inland, being more closely tied to open, saltmarsh plant communities.
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Lesser Sea-spurrey Spergularia marina
Native. Widespread in coastal saltmarshes and saline, muddy and sandy places. More recently spreading inland along the edges of salted roads. Flowers June to September. Flowers 5-8mm across, with pale pink, relatively narrow, petals. Main stems hairless, upper stems with glandular hairs. Seeds usually with a circular 'wing'. In coastal habitats, this species is generally found a little higher up the saline gradient than Greater Sea-spurrey, being more typical of drier saltmarsh where species such as Red Fescue take over from wetter marsh dominated by cord-grass and more succulent saltmarsh plants.
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Sand Spurrey Spergularia rubra
A native of dry, sandy heaths where it can be common along well-trodden tracks. Flowers June to September. Flowers pinkish-purple, small (3-6mm cross) but rather showy. Main stems hairless, upper stems with glandular hairs. Flower bracts relatively large and leaf-like. All seeds unwinged.
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Rock Sea-spurrey Spergularia rupicola
A native of western Britain, where it occurs on rocky coastlines, but only recorded twice in our region as an introduction and none recently. Flowers June to September. Flowers pink, 8-10mm across. Stems covered in glandular hairs. All seeds unwinged.
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Greek Sea-spurrey Spergularia bocconei
Introduced from the Mediterranean region, though possibly native in south-west England. A small handful of old records from our region, but may occur in the future as an introduction along salted roadsides. Flowers May to September. Flowers pink or white, 7-9mm across. Rather similar to Sand Spurrey, but flowers paler and flower bracts relatively small and less leaf-like. All seeds unwinged.
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Knotted Pearlwort Sagina nodosa
Native. Generally scarce and local in East Anglia at a few heathy sites that are wet in winter. More frequent around the meres in Breckland. Flowers July to September. Flowers showy with full petals (unlike the commoner pearlwort species). Leaves needle-like on lower stems, becoming shorter and forming tight clusters along the upright stems and giving the species its English name as they appear like small knots along the stem.
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Heath Pearlwort Sagina subulata
Native in northern and western Britain but not in East Anglia, where it only occurs as a rare garden escape (a golden-leaved form is grown as a rockery plant). Flowers June to August. Flowers showy with full petals (unlike the commoner pearlwort species). Leaves needle-like on creeping stems, forming low, dense mats of foliage.
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