Not to be semantically confused with : Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), Pearlfruit (Margyricarpus pinnatus) nor with Pearlwort Spurrey (Spergula morisonii) [plants with similar names belonging to differing families]

It is a native plant which grows on dry bare ground on heaths or on paths or sea-cliffs. It occurs scattered over much of the British Isles. It is somewhat variable in its general appearance. Take with pinches of NaCl.

The very similar plant, Slender Pearlwort (Sagina filicaulis), occurs more often in man-made habitats but the margins of the sepals are often red (instead of the white of Annual Pearlwort) and the length of well-developed fruit-capsules protrudes from the sepals by more than 12% (rather than by less than 10% for Annual Pearlwort). It is always possible that the specimen from Lock 5 on the Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is indeed of this other species. The two species were once categorised as being 2 sub-species of Annual Purslane.