Sea Sandwort

Honckenya peploides

Please keep in mind that it is illegal to uproot a plant without the landowner's consent and care should be taken at all times not to damage wild plants. Wild plants should never be picked for pleasure and some plants are protected by law.
For more information please download the BSBI Code of Conduct PDF document.

Plant Data

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Order:

Caryophyllales

Family:

Caryophyllaceae (Pink)

Also in this family:

Annual Pearlwort, Bladder Campion, Bog Stitchwort, Bouncing Bett, Common Chickweed, Common Corn-cockle, Common Mouse-ear, Common Soapwort, Corn Spurrey, Greater Chickweed, Greater Stitchwort, Knotted Pearlwort, Lesser Sea-spurrey, Lesser Stitchwort, Procumbent Pearlwort, Ragged Robin, Red Campion, Rock Sea-spurrey, Sea Campion, Snow-in-summer, Spring Sandwort, Sticky Mouse-ear, Three-nerved Sandwort, Thyme-leaved Sandwort, White Campion

Type:

Flower

Maximum Size:

40 centimetres tall

Habitats:

Beaches, sand dunes, seaside, wetland.

Flower:

White, 5 petals

5 small white unnotched petals and pale green narrow sepals which are shorter on the female flowers.

Fruit:

A green, 3-valved, globular capsule, up to 1cm long.

Leaves:

The opposite and stalkless, smooth and glossy leaves are untoothed, oval and pointed. Not hairy.

Aroma:

Flowers have a strong smell of honey.

Other Names:

Sea Chickweed, Sea Pimpernel, Sea-beach Sandwort, Seaside Sandplant, Seaside Sandwort.

Frequency (UK):

Occasionally seen

Distribution Map

Reproduced by kind permission of the BSBI.

Click to open an Interactive Map