Family:
Caryophyllaceae Juss.

Spergula Dill. ex L.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Temp. Eurasia, MAcaronesia to Ethiopia and Tanzania, Bolivia to S. South America.

[FZ]

Caryophyllaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961

Morphology General Habit
Annual herbs; sterns simple or branching, glabrous or glandular-pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves opposite but with contracted leafy branches in the axils making them appear whorled, sessile, linear; stipules small, scarious, caducous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 5-merous, in loose terminal dichasia or the dichasial structure reduced in some branches; pedicels reflexed after anthesis but later becoming erect again.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals free with membranous margins.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals white, entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 10.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 1-locular, multiovulate, with 3 or 5 free styles.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 3–5-valved.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds numerous, surrounded by a narrow or somewhat winged margin.

[FTEA]

Caryophyllaceae, W. B. Turrill. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1956

Morphology General Habit
Annual herbs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves linear, opposite but, from the axillary tufts of leaves, giving the superficial appearance of being in whorls; stipules small, scarious, deciduous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in loose terminal dichasia, the dichasial structure reduced in some branches, hermaphrodite, pentamerous, pedicels deflexed after fertilization but later erect
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals free
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals white, entire
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary unilocular with 3 or 5 free styles
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule deeply split into 3 or 5 valves.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Annual herbs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves linear, mostly in condensed axillary shoots so as to appear as if whorled; stipules interpetiolar, scarious, deciduous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flowers 5-merous, in lax terminal cymes, pedicels reflexed after flowering, erect in ripe fruit
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals free
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals entire, white
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
Anthers up to 10
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary with many ovules, styles usually 5, occasionally 3
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a ± globose capsule opening by (3–)5 valves which do not separate completely
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds numerous, biconvex, often ± winged.
Distribution
Twelve species, probably originally north temperate but now very widespread as adventives.

Native to:

Albania, Algeria, Altay, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Austria, Azores, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil South, Bulgaria, Burundi, Canary Is., Central European Rus, Chile Central, Chile North, Chita, Corse, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Føroyar, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iraq, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Krasnoyarsk, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Madeira, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, North Caucasus, North European Russi, Northwest European R, Norway, Palestine, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Sardegna, Sicilia, South European Russi, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Ukraine, Uruguay, West Himalaya, West Siberia, Yakutskiya, Yugoslavia, Zaïre

Introduced into:

Alabama, Alaska, Alberta, Amur, Angola, Arkansas, Assam, Bangladesh, Brazil North, Brazil Southeast, British Columbia, California, Cape Provinces, Chile South, China North-Central, China South-Central, Colombia, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, East Himalaya, Ecuador, Falkland Is., Florida, Georgia, Greenland, Guatemala, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Jamaica, Kamchatka, Kentucky, Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Korea, Kuril Is., KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Louisiana, Magadan, Maine, Manchuria, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Brunswick, New Caledonia, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, New Zealand North, Newfoundland, North Carolina, Northern Provinces, Northwest Territorie, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Panamá, Pennsylvania, Peru, Philippines, Primorye, Prince Edward I., Québec, Rhode I., Réunion, Sakhalin, Saskatchewan, South Carolina, Sri Lanka, St.Helena, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yukon, Zimbabwe

Spergula Dill. ex L. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Sp. Pl.: 440 (1753)

Accepted by

  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2005). Flora of North America North of Mexico 5: 1-656. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.

Literature

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Gen. Pl. ed. 5: 199 (1754).
  • Sp. Pl. 1: 440 (1753)

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by M. G. Gilbert [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • L., Gen. Pl., ed. 5, 199 (1754)
  • Sp. Pl. 440 (1753)

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    Flora Zambesiaca
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    Flora of Somalia
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0