Rank Species | Genus Sagina Higher classification Sagina | |
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Similar Sagina, Irish Moss, Sagina procumbens, Caryophyllaceae, Sedum spurium | ||
Flower gardening tips how to grow irish or scotch moss sagina subulata
Sagina subulata (heath pearlwort, Irish-moss, awl-leaf pearlwort or Scottish moss; syn. Sagina pilifera auct. non (DC.) Fenzl) is a species of Sagina, native to Europe, from Iceland south to Spain, and east to southern Sweden and Romania. It occurs on dry sandy or gravelly soils.
Contents
- Flower gardening tips how to grow irish or scotch moss sagina subulata
- Sagina subulata irish moss
- Description
- Varieties
- References
Sagina subulata irish moss
Description
Heath pearlwort is a low-growing prostrate perennial plant forming a thick, dense mat with stems less than 10 cm long, and slender subulate (awl-shaped) leaves up to 1 cm long. The flowers are 4–5 mm diameter, with five white petals the same length as the green sepals; they are produced singly on erect stems 2–4 cm long. The seeds are smooth, brown, triangular shaped, 0.4–0.5 mm, produced in a capsule 2.5–3 mm long.
Varieties
There are two varieties, Sagina subulata var. subulata with glandular-hairy sepals, and Sagina subulata var. glabrata Gillot with hairless sepals; the latter is often a lawn weed, and has been confused with the related Mediterranean species Sagina pilifera. The cultivar 'Aurea' (referred to as Scottish or Scotch Moss in the horticultural trade) is grown as a garden plant.
