''Cerastium tomentosum'' (snow-in-summer) is an herbaceous flowering plant and a member of the family

Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactacea ...

. It is generally distinguished from other species of its genus by "tomentose" or felty foliage. It is a low, spreading perennial native to alpine regions of Europe. The stems & leaves are silvery-grey, whilst the flowers are star-like, white & about 15mm across.

Description

It is an evergreen, creeping off-shoot,

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

, herbaceous plant that reaches heights of growth of 15 to 30 (rarely to 45) centimeters. It is overall densely hairy. The leaves are up to 30 millimetres long and linear to

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

, which are covered with silky, silvery, frizzy and entangled hairs, forming like whitish felting. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s consist of up to 15 flowers. The calyx is 5 to 7 millimetres long. The petals are white and twice as long as the calyx. The teeth of the capsule are slightly bent outwards. The flowering period is from May to July in the northern hemisphere, but may also bloom at other times of the year.

Cultivation

It has proven popular as a cultivated ornamental and can be found in gardens the world over. It is a horticultural plant, perennial, rocky, forming dense silver carpets. This plant is not very demanding: it likes a poor soil, rich in gravel, well drained, in a sunny place. It spreads easily by its rhizomes.

Range

It is native to southern Italy. It is believed to originate from the Caucasus and southeastern Europe. It has naturalised in Canada, the United States and France, where it is often subspontaneous.Jaakko Jalas (Editor), Juha Suominen (Editor), Atlas Florae Europaeae: Volume 3: Distribution of Vascular Plants in Europe, Cambridge University Press,1988

References

External links

Heritage Perennials: Cerastium tomentosumMissouri Botanical Garden (Kemper Center): Cerastium tomentosum
{{Taxonbar, from=Q114430 tomentosum Alpine flora Flora of Europe Flora of Estonia Flora of the United Kingdom Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus