Kingdom Plantae Family Caryophyllaceae Rank Species | Order Caryophyllales Genus Minuartia | |
 | ||
Similar Minuartia nuttallii, Minuartia douglasii, Minuartia uniflora, Minuartia groenlandica, Minuartia obtusiloba | ||
Minuartia patula, common names pitcher's stitchwort or lime-barren sandwort, is an annual plant in the carnation family. It is native to sections of the eastern and central United States, primarily the lower Mississippi Valley, the southern Great Plains, and the Tennessee Valley, with additional scattered populations in Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the southern Great Lakes region.
Minuartia patula is found on limestone outcrops and in rocky barrens and glades. It is a small, delicate annual species with thin red stems up to 30 centimetres (1 ft) long, erect (upright) or ascending (trailing along the ground at first, then curving upwards). It very often has numerous stems crossing each other so as to form a clump of many stems. Leaves are in pairs, narrow and rarely more than 20 millimetres (0.8 in) long. Flowers are white, forming in the spring then quickly wilting.
Minuartia patula is highly variable throughout its range, and multiple varieties have been named, though none of these is widely accepted today.