Notes on Arenaria serpyllifolia

Fig. 1. Arenaria serpyllifolia L., morph 1 (Finland, Tampere, Viitapohja, 1993). – Image: Harri Harmaja (scanned from dried specimen). – The plants appear to deviate somewhat from the common appearance of the species. Interesting with these plants, collected in the spring, is that (i) the shoots are overwintered, second year's ones, (ii) the lower branches of the rather richly ramose plants are long, horizontal or ascending, (iii) the leaves are relatively broad, and (iv) the leaves of especially the preceding season are shortly petiolate. Glandular hairs are present in the sepals. In the preceding season, the plants developed rather long shoots to overwinter. The leaves of the old shoot portions are partly withered, partly green in the following spring. In the spring, new shoot portions have emerged from the terminal and axillary buds of the stems and branches. The life cycle of A. serpyllifolia (Caryophyllaceae) is often summer annual but the present plants had winter annual life cycle as is the rule in Finnish Moehringia trinervia of the same family.

Fig. 2. Arenaria serpyllifolia L., morph 2 (Finland, Lohja, Hermala, 2004). – Image: Harri Harmaja (scanned from dried specimen). – This plant is fairly striking as it possesses sessile, broadly ovate leaves that have several veins. A few glandular hairs are present in the sepals. This type of A. serpyllifolia grew on limestone among other morphs of the species.