''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small,

cushion A cushion is a soft bag of some ornamental material, usually stuffed with wool, hair, feathers, polyester staple fiber, non-woven material, cotton, or even paper torn into fragments. It may be used for sitting or kneeling upon, or to soften ...

-like

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

plants in the family

Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family (biology), family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranth ...

, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''

Sagina ''Sagina'' (like '' Colobanthus'' called "pearlworts") is a genus of 20–30 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. These are flowering herbs native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere extending south to tropical ...

''. ''C. quitensis'' is

the world's southernmost The most south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto ...

dicot, and one of only two native extant flowering plants of

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

Selected species

* '' Colobanthus acicularis'' Hook. f. * '' Colobanthus affinis'' (Hook) Hook. f. * '' Colobanthus apetalus'' (Labill.) Druce synonym = ''Spergula apetala'' * '' Colobanthus bolivianus'' Pax * ''

Colobanthus brevisepalus ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' Kirk * '' Colobanthus buchananii'' Kirk * ''

Colobanthus caespitosus ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion plant, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world ...

'' Colenso * ''

Colobanthus canaliculatus ''Colobanthus canaliculatus'' is a herbaceous alpine dicot belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae. It is a lithophytic cushion plant native to South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the ...

'' Kirk * '' Colobanthus curtisiae'' J.G. West * '' Colobanthus diffusus'' Hook. f. * '' Colobanthus hookeri'' Cheeseman * ''

Colobanthus kerguelensis ''Colobanthus kerguelensis'' is a low-growing, moss-like flowering cushion plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, found on subantarctic islands in the southern Indian Ocean. The specific epithet refers to the type locality – the Kerguelen Islan ...

'' Hook. f. * ''

Colobanthus lycopodoides ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' Griseb. * ''

Colobanthus masonae ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' L.B. Moore * ''

Colobanthus monticola ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' Petrie * ''

Colobanthus muelleri ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' Kirk = ''C. billardieri'' var. ''brachypoda'' * ''

Colobanthus muscoides ''Colobanthus muscoides'' is a low-growing, moss-like flowering cushion plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, found on islands in the south-western Pacific Ocean, especially in the subantarctic region. The specific epithet comes from the Latin '' ...

'' Hook. f. * ''

Colobanthus nivicola ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' M. Gray * ''

Colobanthus pulvinatus ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' F. Muell. * ''

Colobanthus quitensis ''Colobanthus quitensis'', also known as the Antarctic pearlwort, is one of two native flowering plants found in the Antarctic region, the other being Antarctic hair grass. It has yellow flowers and grows about tall, giving it a moss-like appea ...

'' (Kunth) Bartl., = ''C. alatus'', ''C. aretioides'', ''C. billardieri'', ''C. cherlerioides'', ''C. crassifolius'', ''C. crassifolius'' var. ''aretioides'', ''C. maclovianus'', ''C. meingeni'', ''C. quitensis'' var. ''alatus'', ''C. saginoides'', ''Sagina crassifolia'', ''S. quitensis'', ''Spergula affinis''? * '' Colobanthus repens'' Colenso * '' Colobanthus squarrosus'' Cheeseman * '' Colobanthus strictus'' (Cheeseman) Cheeseman * '' Colobanthus subulatus'' (d'Urv.) Hook. f. * '' Colobanthus wallii'' Petrie

References

Caryophyllaceae genera {{Caryophyllaceae-stub