Ahart's nailwort
Paronychia ahartii Ertter
Paronychia ahartii is a species of flowering plant in the Caryophyllaceae family, commonly known as Ahart's nailwort. It is endemic to California, found in three counties at the northern edge of the Sacramento Valley and on the southern slopes of the Cascade Range. The plant grows in moist, rocky habitats, particularly vernal pools. It is a small, nearly stemless plant with a threadlike taproot and a spherical shape, approximately one centimeter wide. It has bristle-tipped green leaves with oval stipules and produces small, petal-less flowers with white, awn-tipped sepals in the leaf axils.
Description
Paronychia ahartii is a small, herbaceous plant native to California. It is found in three counties along the northern Sacramento Valley and the southern Cascade Range slopes, specifically in moist, rocky areas like vernal pools. The plant is nearly stemless, growing from a thin taproot. It is about one centimeter in width, with a compact, spherical form. The leaves are bristle-tipped and only a few millimeters long, accompanied by oval-shaped stipules. Each leaf axil produces a single flower with no petals but has white, rough-textured sepals with awns. The species was described by Ertter in 1985.
Other common names
Ahart's nailwort
Distribution
California
