Scleranthus annuus L.
annual knawel (German knotgrass)
Caryophyllaceae (Pink family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
annual knawel (German knotgrass)
Caryophyllaceae (Pink family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Scleranthus annuus ssp. annuus
Species Information
General:
Annual or biennial herb from a slender taproot; stems prostrate to ascending, several, few branched above, glabrous to short-hairy, 2.5-15 cm tall/long.
Leaves:
Basal and stem leaves opposite, awl-like, 5-20 mm long, slightly papery-margined near their shortly fused bases; stipules lacking.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of solitary flowers in stem forks, or in a terminal or axillary cluster; petals lacking; sepals usually 5, fused for 1/2 their length into a bell-shaped, 10-nerved tube, green or whitish, the lobes lanceolate, abruptly sharp-pointed, 1.5-2 mm long, glabrous.
Fruits:
Inflated bladders, egg-shaped, 1-seeded, enclosed by the hardened calyx tube.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Scleranthus annuus
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)
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 |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
864 | 515 | 1153 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
16 | 8 | 24 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
181 | 150 | 345 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
1 | 0 | 4 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
5 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
ICH(1), IDF(2) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry roadsides, fields and waste places in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; infrequent in S BC; introduced from Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Scleranthus annuus subsp. annuus