Arenaria serpyllifolia  L.

Family: Caryophyllaceae
Flowering Time: Des-Jun.

General Appearance

Arenaria serpyllifolia L. / Immediate children: Arenaria serpyllifolia ssp. serpyllifolia, it is an annual, up to 25 cm tall, glandular hairy, lush green herb. Stem filiform, usually dichotomously branched, branches sub erect to ascending, internodes up to 2 cm long. Leaves sessile, triangular-ovate to broadly lanceolate. 3-6 (-7) x 2-3 (-4) mm, 3-5-nerved, entire. acute-acuminate, sparsely glandular hairy to glabrescent. Cyme usually monochasial many-flowered. Flowers small, c. 5 mm across, whitish-green. Pedicel up to 8 mm long, filiform, glandular-hairy. Sepals 5, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate 3-4 x 1.5 mm, 3-5-nerved, acute-acuminate, margins white membranous, glandular outside. Petals 5, white, ovate-oblong, 1.5-3 mm long, entire, glabrous. Stamens 10, filament filiform, white; anthers sub globose, inconspicuous. Ovary sub globose, 0.5 mm in diameter, glabrous; style 3, free, c. 1 mm long, white. Capsule, ovoid-oblong or ± sub globose, pale yellow with brittle wall, slightly shorter than persistent enveloping sepals, dehiscing by 6 apical teeth. Seeds rounded-reniform, c. 0.5-0.7 mm long, blackish-brown, with papillate tubercles.   

Life Form

Th

Phytochoria

S.Cosm. The native range of this species is Temp. Eurasia to Philippines (Luzon), N. Africa to Ethiopia.

Distribution in Libya

Al-Jafarah Plain:  El-Geddaieda (6 km) E. of Tripoli 1967  Tripoli 1971, 1975, 1976, 1977   Researches Station of Agriculture Faculty, University of Tripoli 2021

Zliten-Misurata Plain:  Misurata 2008

Jabal Nafusa:  Misallata (Shaafeen) 2008  Msallata-Garaboulli Province 2020

First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan:

Jafri, S.M.H. & El-Gadi, A. (1978) Flora of Libya, Caryophyllaceae Vol. (59) Department of Botany, Al-Faateh Univ., Tripoli, Libya. Page. 45.

Second: Researches and PhD theses, master theses, Sorted by Newest:

Al-Sghair, F.G. and Mahklouf, M.H. (2021) Vegetation Survey for Vascular Plants of Protected Area of the University of Tripoli-Libya. Species. Vol.22 (69), 2021. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohammed-Mahklouf,  http://www.discoveryjournals.org/Species/current_issue/2021/v22/n69/index.htm,   http://www.discoveryjournals.org/Species/current_issue/2021/v22/n69/A1.pdf

Vegetation Survey of Protected Area of the University of Tripoli-Libya. 2021

Mahklouf, M.H., Sherif, A.S., Betelmal, A.G. (2020) Floristic Study and Species Diversity of Msallata-Garaboulli Province in Libya. J. of Advanced Botany and Zoology Volume 7 / Issue 3 ISSN: 2348-7313. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohammed-Mahklouf, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341306643_Floristic_Study_and_Species_Diverisy_of_Msallata-Garaboulli_Province_in_Libya

Floristic Study and Species Diverisy of Msallata-Garaboulli Province. 2020

Baayo, Kh. A. (2008): Floristic composition and Phytochorological Analysis of Misratah area, Libya, Assiut Univ.J. of Botany 37(2), P-P. 33-78 (2008).

Mohammed, S.A.H. (2008) A taxonomic and ecological study of the plants of the Shaafin Reserve in Masalatah. Master Thesis. Department of Biology-Faculty of Arts and Sciences-Al-Mirqab University. Al-Khums. Libya. (In Arabic).

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