''Geocarpon glabrum'', commonly called Appalachian stichwort, is a species of flowering plant in the carnation 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 ...

). It is native to the eastern United States, where it has a scattered distribution. Its natural habitat is areas of

siliceous rock Siliceous rocks are sedimentary rocks that have silica (SiO2) as the principal constituent. The most common siliceous rock is chert; other types include diatomite. They commonly form from silica-secreting organisms such as radiolarians, diatoms, o ...

outcrops, which include

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

gneiss Gneiss (pronounced ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under p ...

, and

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

. In the

Cumberland Mountains The Cumberland Mountains are a mountain range in the southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains. They are located in western Virginia, southwestern West Virginia, the eastern edges of Kentucky, and eastern middle Tennessee, including the ...

, this species is a major component of sandstone glade communities. Due to its narrow habitat requirements, this species is uncommon throughout its range. ''Geocarpon glabrum'' is a small, delicate annual. It produces white flowers in late spring and early summer. It is similar to '' Geocarpon groenlandicum'', which it was historically considered a variety of. It can be distinguished from ''G. groenlandicum'' by its taller stature, annual habit, upright and not mat-forming growth, smaller petals, and flowers in greater number per cyme. In addition, ''G. glabrum'' is found in lower elevations than ''G. groenlandicum''.''Minuartia glabra''
New England Wildflower Society

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q125215870, from2=Q15571542 Caryophyllaceae Flora of Connecticut Flora of Georgia (U.S. state) Flora of Illinois Flora of Kentucky Flora of Maine Flora of Maryland Flora of New Hampshire Flora of New York (state) Flora of North Carolina Flora of Pennsylvania Flora of Rhode Island Flora of South Carolina Flora of Tennessee Flora of Virginia Flora of West Virginia Endemic flora of the United States Plants described in 1803 Taxa named by André Michaux