General: Perennial herb with a thick, rather woody root and branched stem-base; stems decumbent to ascending, several, few branched, usually glandular-hairy, 3-45 cm tall/long, 0.8-3.0 mm in diameter.
Leaves: Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves opposite, 2-several per node, mostly 7-50 mm long, 0.6-3 mm wide, fleshy, glabrous to densely glandular-hairy, bristle-tipped; stipules 4-11 mm long, triangular and tapering to a long-point, membranous, sheathing at the base.
Flowers: Inflorescence of solitary to few flowers in a terminal or axillary cluster, glandular-hairy; petals 5, dark to very pale pink, 3.5-8 mm long; sepals 5, 5-9 mm long, densely glandular-hairy, broadly lanceolate, usually more or less abruptly sharp-pointed.
Fruits: Capsules 5.5-10 mm long, 3-valved; seeds dark reddish-brown, nearly smooth, mostly 0.6-1 mm long, usually surrounded by a white or brownish wing about 0.1 mm wide.
1. Stamens 2-5; sepals glabrous to moderately glandular-hairy.
2. Leaves blunt; seeds usually wing-margined, 0.8-1.1 mm long S. canadensis
2. Leaves abruptly slender-pointed; seeds wingless, 0.6-0.9 mm long S. salina
1. Stamens 6-10; sepals densely glandular-hairy.
3. Seeds dark reddish-brown, nearly smooth, usually surrounded with a thin, white or brownish wing; sepals 5-9 mm long; plants native perennials S. macrotheca
3. Seeds light or dark brown or greyish-brown, finely reticulate and pimply, wingless; sepals 3.5-5 mm long, or less; plants introduced annuals or short-lived perennials S. rubra
Habitat / Range
Wet to moist salt marshes and sandy coastal beaches in the lowland zone; rare in SW BC, known only on SE Vancouver Island and adjacent Gulf Islands; S to CA and MX.
