coastal pearlwort
Sagina maxima A.Gray
Sagina maxima is a flowering plant in the Caryophyllaceae family, native to the west coast of North America and parts of East Asia. It grows in sandy and rocky coastal habitats and is characterized by its fleshy, perennial herb structure with linear leaves and thick stems. The plant produces a solitary flower with five sepals and five small white petals. Two subspecies are recognized, differing mainly in stem hair arrangement.
Description
Sagina maxima, known as coastal pearlwort, is a small, fleshy perennial herb found in coastal regions from Alaska to California and in parts of China, Japan, Korea, and Russia. It forms clumps with linear leaves up to 2 cm long and thick stems. The inflorescence consists of a single flower with five sepals and five small white petals. The species is distinguished by its two subspecies, primarily differing in the arrangement of hairs on the stems. This plant is adapted to sandy and rocky coastal environments and is widely distributed across its native range.
Other common names
coastal pearlwortsticky-stemmed pearlwortstickystem pearlwort
Distribution
TW · Alaska · Aleutian Is. · British Columbia · California · China South-Central · China Southeast · Japan · Kamchatka · Khabarovsk · Korea · Kuril Is. · Manchuria · Nansei-shoto · Ogasawara-shoto · Oregon · Primorye · Sakhalin · Taiwan · Washington · Xinjiang
Synonyms
Sagina maxima f. littoreaSagina maxima var. littoreaSagina crassicaulis var. littoreaSagina crassicaulis var. litoralisSagina litoralisSagina maxima f. crassicaulis
