Alaska Wildflowers | White

Arctic sandwort

Minuartia arctica (Steve ex Ser.) Graebn.

Alt. Names:
Arctic stitchwort
Arenaria arctica
Lidia arctica

Genus: Minuartia L. (stitchwort)
Family: Caryophyllaceae (pink)
Order: Caryophyllales

Duration: Perennial

Uses: Not known

Identification – Arctic Sandwort

Arctic sandwort is a mat-forming plant. Its leaves are tightly overlapping, variably spaced, short, narrow, connate, and densely packed on the stem. There is a solitary flower on each stem, often with many tightly spaced flowers rising 3-10 cm above the mat. The flowers are typically 5-petaled with petals 4-8 mm in diameter, approximately twice the size of the sepals. The flower is typically white or slightly pink often with purple or pink color near the base of the petal or on the margins. It is cup-shaped containing 8-10 stamens.

Range and Habitat

Minuartia arctica is found in Alaska and northern Canada. It grows in rocky or gravelly dry areas and is frequently found in alpine tundra.

References

Field Guide to Alaskan Wildflowers, Pratt, Verna E. pg 64
Minuartia arctica  (Steven ex Ser.) Graebn., ITIS Database
Minuartia arctica (Stev. ex Ser.) Graebn. arctic stitchwort, USDA Database
Diagram: USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Vol. 2: 54.
Minuartia arctica, Flora of North America – www.eFloras.org