ROCK SEA-SPURREY

Spergularia rupicola

Carnation & Campion Family [Caryophyllaceae]  

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8Aug month8sep month8sept

flower
flower8lilac		 inner
inner8yellow		 morph
morph8actino		 petals
petalsZ5		 stem
stem8round

20th June 2008, Peel Castle, IOM Photo: © RWD
A prostrate sprawling mass of leaves and flowers.


20th June 2008, Peel Castle, IOM Photo: © RWD
Leaves in whorls of three or four around the often purplish stem. Leaves have many very short and silvery hairs or stipules on the edges. Flower buds have five purplish sepals, here un-opened.


20th June 2008, Peel Castle, IOM Photo: © RWD
Leaves long and linear, possibly three-sided in cross-section, tapering to a point at the tip. The sepals also have silvery short stipules.


6th July 2006, Sea Shore, Little Orme, North Wales. Photo: © RWD
Flowers have five pink petals with the sepals as long as the petals. Unlike Greater Sea-Spurrey the centre of the flower does not have a white centre. Ten stamens bear yellow pollen. Like most sea-spurreys, the flowers are on short one-inch stalks that appear to be angled strangely as if broken. Purplish stems in evidence.

Not to be mistaken for: Lesser Sea-spurrey, Greater Sea-Spurrey or Matted Sea Lavender.

Easily confused with: Greater Sea-spurrey but unlike Rock Sea-spurrey it is larger, the stipules are not silvery, and the flowers tend to have whitish centres. Also with Lesser Sea-spurrey but that has smaller and pinkier flowers where the petals are usually shorter than the sepals.

Found on cliffs, rocks and walls near the sea.

Distribution
family8Carnation family8Campion family8Caryophyllaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Spergularia
Spergularia

ROCK SEA-SPURREY

Spergularia rupicola

Carnation & Campion Family [Caryophyllaceae]  

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