E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Arenaria serpyllifolia L.
thyme-leaved sandwort (thymeleaf sandwort)
Caryophyllaceae (Pink family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Bryan Kelly-McArthur  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #81467)

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Distribution of Arenaria serpyllifolia
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SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Arenaria serpyllifolia var. serpyllifolia

Species Information

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General:
Annual herb from a short, slender taproot; stems slender, ascending, usually much-branched, downy, often becoming glandular above, 8-30 cm tall.
Leaves:
Leaves opposite, egg-shaped to lanceolate, 3-8 mm long, 1.5-4 mm wide, 3- to 5-nerved, needle-pointed, roughly hairy; stipules lacking.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of usually several flowers, borne in typically open, diffuse, leafy-bracted clusters; petals 5, white, narrowly egg-shaped, to 2 mm long; sepals 5, free, narrowly egg-shaped, sharp-pointed, about 3 mm long, hairy.
Fruits:
Capsules egg-shaped to pear-shaped, 3-4 mm long, 6-valved; seeds greyish-purple to black, 0.5 mm long, pimply in concentric rows.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry roadsides and disturbed areas in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; common in S BC; introduced from Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Arenaria serpyllifolia

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 213 800 1644
Slope Gradient (%) 0 38 210
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
5 195 345
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
0 2 5
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
93
Modal BEC Zone Class
IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BG(4), ESSF(1), ICH(23), IDF(35), MS(1), PP(19)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Arenaria leptoclados (Rchb.) Guss.
Arenaria serpyllifolia subsp. leptoclados (Rchb.) Nyman
Arenaria serpyllifolia subsp. serpyllifolia
Arenaria serpyllifolia var. tenuior Mert. & W.D.J. Koch

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References