''Herniaria lusitanica'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Caryophyllales Caryophyllales ( ) is a diverse and heterogeneous order of flowering plants with well-known members including cacti, carnations, beets, quinoa, spinach, amaranths, pigfaces and ice plants, oraches and saltbushes, goosefoots, sundews, Venu ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

and the

Berlengas The Berlengas are a Portuguese archipelago consisting of small Atlantic islands off the coast of Peniche, Portugal, in the Oeste region. These islands were traditionally known to British mariners as "the Burlings". The only inhabited island is ...

archipelago.

Description

''Herniaria lusitanica'' is an annual (subsp. ''lusitanica''), biannual or perennial (subsp. ''berlengiana'') plant. It has very ramified stems, leaves and densely packed glomeruli with 4-15 flowers.

Distribution and habitat

''Herniaria lusitanica'' is native to the Iberian Peninsula and the

archipelago of Portugal. It grows in agricultural fields, pathways and altered land in dry places.

Subspecies

It has two subspecies: * ''H. lusitanica'' subsp. ''lusitanica'': Native to the Iberian Peninsula. * ''H. lusitanica'' subsp. ''berlengiana'': Native to the Berlengas archipelago.

References

lusitanica Flora of Portugal Flora of Spain Flora of Southwestern Europe {{Caryophyllaceae-stub