''Spergularia atrosperma'' is a species of flowering plant 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 ...

known by the common name blackseed sandspurry. It is native to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, where it grows in muddy and sandy habitat, often in moist

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...

substrates. It is a small annual herb producing a slender stem up to 15 centimeters long. It is lined with fleshy linear leaves. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

bears small flowers with five pointed

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s and five oval white or pink petals. The fruit is a capsule containing shiny, sometimes

iridescent Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear gradually to change colour as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Iridescence is caused by wave interference of light in microstruc ...

, black seeds.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Spergularia atrosperma'' (Blackseed sandspurry, Sand spurrey)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Spergularia atrosperma''USDA Plants Profile for ''Spergularia atrosperma''Flora of North AmericaUC Photos gallery: ''Spergularia atrosperma''
atrosperma Flora of California Flora of Nevada Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Caryophyllaceae-stub