Posts Tagged ‘Arenaria lateriflora’
Grove-sandwort (Arenaria lateriflora L.)
Our summer property is a constant source of learning for me. Every year I seem to find at least one new plant. This year the plant is Grove-sandwort (Arenaria lateriflora L.).
Grove-sandwort is a common plant, found in meadows, along shorelines and at the borders of woods. It is a low-growing herb, first noticeable in June. The starry, white flowers each have five petals and grow near the top and along the sides of a simple stem. The leaves are elongated, elliptical, and in pairs.
Arenaria comes from the Latin arena meaning ‘sand’, where many of the members of the genus grow. The specific name lateriflora means ‘flowering on the side’.
Have you learned to identify any new plants this summer?
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new neighbor
Grove-sandwort (Arenaria lateriflora L.)
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met her in the meadow
by the split-rail fence
strewing the grove
with flowers
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her leaves paired,
clapping hands,
delighted only ‘to be’
a bystander in the arena
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© Jane Tims 2012
nichepoetryandprose 