Arenaria lanuginosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. Its common name is spreading sandwort. It is an annual or subshrub native to the subtropical and tropical Americas.
Description Arenaria lanuginosa has thin stems that spread low to the ground. Grown on the stems are thin linear leaves and small white five-petaled flowers that show green sepals between each petal. Stamens and carpel are pale green and white. https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=Arenaria+lanuginosa&formsubmit=Search+Terms
Range It is native to the southwestern, south-central, and southeastern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, Andean South America, northern Argentina, and southern and southeastern Brazil. https://floranorthamerica.org/Arenaria_lanuginosa
Habitat It can be found in open woodlands, rocky areas, and damp thickets.https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ARLA4
Ecology Etymology Varieties Two varieties are accepted. Arenaria lanuginosa var. lanuginosa Arenaria lanuginosa var. saxosa – Rock sandwort. Southwestern United States to Texas, central and southern Mexico to Guatemala, and Panama.
Taxonomy The species was first described as Spergulastrum lanuginosum by André Michaux in 1803. In 1872 Paul Rohrbach placed the species in genus Arenaria as A. lanuginosa.
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