Kingdom Plantae Genus Cardionema Higher classification Cardionema Order Caryophyllales | Family Caryophyllaceae Scientific name Cardionema ramosissimum Rank Species | |
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Similar Cardionema, Caryophyllales, Colobanthus quitensis, Polycarpon tetraphyllum, Colobanthus | ||
Cardionema ramosissimum is a beach-dwelling plant of the pink family, Caryophyllaceae, which is known by the common name sandcarpet.
Description
Cardionema ramosissimum is a flat or clumping mat-forming perennial plant which grows along the coastline of western North America, as well as Chile. From a taproot it extends many petite to sprawling stems up to 30 centimeters long and covered in very tiny leaves, which are about a centimeter long and needlelike.
Filling in the spaces between the spine-shaped leaves are long stipules. The plant bears tiny woolly flowers.
This thick plant forms a blanket on the sand and can be used for erosion control on beaches.
References
Cardionema ramosissimum Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA