Lesser Sea-spurrey

Spergularia marina

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

Type:

Flower

Life Cycle:

Annual or Perennial

Maximum Size:

35 centimetres tall

Habitats:

Beaches, ditches, roadsides, saltmarshes, seaside.

Flower:

Pink, 5 petals

5 pink petals whitening towards the centre. Distinguishable from Greater Sea-spurrey in that it has longer sepals than petals, and that it bears smaller, pinker flowers.

Fruit:

A brown oval pod, up to 6mm long. Many-seeded.

Leaves:

Linear, fleshy leaves, in opposite pairs, up to 4cm long.

Other Names:

Salt Sandspurry, Saltmarsh Sand Spurry.

Frequency (UK):

Occasionally seen

Distribution Map

Reproduced by kind permission of the BSBI.

Click to open an Interactive Map