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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE PINK FAMILY | |||||||||
| The pink family is found mainly in
north temperate regions, though it may also be found in montane tropics
and the arctic. These plants are herbaceous perennials that have an erect
or reclining growth habit. Some species may be mat forming. Almost all of
the members of the pink family have three characteristics in common that
make this family easy to identify: swollen nodes, opposite leaves, and notched
petals. Several members of this family are used as ornamentals. One of the more well-known examples is Dianthus or the carnation. Many species are also considered weedy. |
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| SAND CHICKWEED | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Stellaria arenicola | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Sand chickweed grows 20 – 40 cm tall from branched rootstocks. The stems are weak and ascending to erect. The stems are 1 to 3 mm wide and hairless. The leaves are opposite and sessile. The flowers are clustered into loose, few-flowered inflorescences. The bracts below each flower are papery and whitish. The sepals are distinct and without hairs. The petals are longer than the sepals and are whitish in colour. The fruit is a straw-coloured capsule. At the time of seed release, the capsules open and the valves are outwardly rolled. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Sand chickweed grows in sand dunes and on sandy lakeshores. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in northern Saskatchewan in the Lake Athabasca area of the Athabasca Plain ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Sand chickweed is vulnerable in Saskatchewan because it is rare or uncommon. This species is restricted to one small area of the province, though it is usually numerous within localized areas. There are no known or anticipated threats to sand chickweed. This taxon is endemic to the Lake Athabasca region of Alberta and Saskatchewan. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY SAND CHICKWEED | |||||||||
| * Are the inflorescence bracts white and papery? * Is the capsule straw-coloured? * Are the leaves opposite and sessile? * Did you find it in northern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found sand chickweed! | |||||||||
