Spergula pentandra L.

Wingstem spurry (en), Espargoutte à cinq étamines (fr), Spargoute à cinq étamines (fr), Espargoute à cinq étamines (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Caryophyllales > Caryophyllaceae > Spergula

Characteristics

Herb, annual with slender tap root, glabrous or rarely sparsely pubescent. Stems erect to ascending, 5–30 cm long. Leaves sessile, linear, 5–25 mm long, c. 2 mm wide, margin not revolute so leaves not channelled beneath; stipules small, scarious, often caducous. Inflorescence branching, paniculate; bracts small, scarious. Flowers c. 4 mm diam.; pedicels 3–20 mm long, usually not strongly deflexed after flowering. Calyx glabrous. Sepals ovate, acute, 3–4 mm long, with scarious margins. Petals lanceolate, acute, slightly longer than sepals, white. Capsule broadly ovoid, slightly exceeding the sepals. Seeds compressed, 0.8–1 mm diam., blackish, never papillose, with a white, shiny wing about as wide as the seed.
More
Plants glabrous or moderately pubescent. Stems often branched proximally, 5-30 cm. Leaf blades usually flat, 0.5-1.5 cm, usually not channeled abaxially. Pedicels erect to ascending, spreading or, sometimes, reflexed in fruit, not secund. Flowers: sepals 2.5-4 mm; petals ± lanceolate, 3/ 7/ 8 times as long as sepals in flower, apex acute to acuminate; stamens usually 5. Capsule valves 4-5 mm. Seeds winged, lenticular, 0.6-0.9 mm wide, surface minutely roughened or obscurely tuberculate (50×), papillae absent or relatively few in marginal ring; wings usually white, sometimes slightly tannish, 0.4-0.6 mm wide. 2n = 18 (Europe).
Another European weed, is only casual in our coastal states. It has lanceolate, acute, non-contiguous pet, and seeds with a shining, white-transparent wing more than half as wide as the body.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread anemochory
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.05 - 0.28
Root system tap-root
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

An uncommon weed of disturbed soils.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 4-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-10

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Spergula pentandra leaf picture by kyrian medjkal (cc-by-sa)
Spergula pentandra leaf picture by Страхил Иванов (cc-by-sa)
Spergula pentandra leaf picture by Corey Roy (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Spergula pentandra flower picture by kyrian medjkal (cc-by-sa)
Spergula pentandra flower picture by Loreti Pietro (cc-by-sa)
Spergula pentandra flower picture by Carola Beatrice Spagnardi (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Spergula pentandra world distribution map, present in Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Algeria, Spain, France, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Libya, Luxembourg, Morocco, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Tunisia, Turkey, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:158786-1
WFO ID wfo-0000440022
COL ID 4YJCN
BDTFX ID 65566
INPN ID 124519
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Arenaria pentandra Stipularia pentandra Spergula pentandra