''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small,

cushion A cushion is a soft bag of some ornamental material, usually stuffed with wool, hair, feathers, polyester staple fiber, non-woven material, cotton, or even paper torn into fragments. It may be used for sitting or kneeling upon, or to soften th ...

-like

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

plants in 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 ...

, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''

Sagina ''Sagina'' (like ''Colobanthus'' called "pearlworts") is a genus of 20–30 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. These are flowering herbs native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere extending south to tropical m ...

''. ''C. quitensis'' is

the world's southernmost The most southerly geographical features of various types are listed here. Cities and settlements Geography Islands Berkner Island is further south than any of these, but its bedrock lies entirely below sea level, with only its ice cov ...

dicot, and one of only two native extant flowering plants of

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

Selected species

* '' Colobanthus acicularis'' Hook. f. * '' Colobanthus affinis'' (Hook) Hook. f. * ''

Colobanthus apetalus ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' (Labill.) Druce synonym = ''Spergula apetala'' * '' Colobanthus bolivianus'' Pax * '' Colobanthus brevisepalus'' Kirk * '' Colobanthus buchananii'' Kirk * '' Colobanthus caespitosus'' Colenso * ''

Colobanthus canaliculatus ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' Kirk * '' Colobanthus curtisiae'' J.G. West * '' Colobanthus diffusus'' Hook. f. * '' Colobanthus hookeri'' Cheeseman * ''

Colobanthus kerguelensis ''Colobanthus kerguelensis'' is a low-growing, moss-like flowering cushion plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, found on subantarctic islands in the southern Indian Ocean. The specific epithet refers to the type locality – the Kerguelen Islan ...

'' Hook. f. * ''

Colobanthus lycopodoides ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' Griseb. * ''

Colobanthus masonae ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' L.B. Moore * ''

Colobanthus monticola ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' Petrie * ''

Colobanthus muelleri ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' Kirk = ''C. billardieri'' var. ''brachypoda'' * ''

Colobanthus muscoides ''Colobanthus muscoides'' is a low-growing, moss-like flowering cushion plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, found on islands in the south-western Pacific Ocean, especially in the subantarctic region. The specific epithet comes from the Latin '' ...

'' Hook. f. * ''

Colobanthus nivicola ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' M. Gray * ''

Colobanthus pulvinatus ''Colobanthus'' is a large genus of small, cushion-like herbaceous plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, sometimes known as "pearlworts", a name they share with plants of the related genus ''Sagina''. ''C. quitensis'' is the world's southernmost ...

'' F. Muell. * ''

Colobanthus quitensis ''Colobanthus quitensis'', the Antarctic pearlwort, is one of two native flowering plants found in the Antarctic region. It has yellow flowers and grows about 5 cm (two inches) tall, with a cushion-like growth habit that gives it a moss-like appe ...

'' (Kunth) Bartl., = ''C. alatus'', ''C. aretioides'', ''C. billardieri'', ''C. cherlerioides'', ''C. crassifolius'', ''C. crassifolius'' var. ''aretioides'', ''C. maclovianus'', ''C. meingeni'', ''C. quitensis'' var. ''alatus'', ''C. saginoides'', ''Sagina crassifolia'', ''S. quitensis'', ''Spergula affinis''? * '' Colobanthus repens'' Colenso * '' Colobanthus squarrosus'' Cheeseman * '' Colobanthus strictus'' (Cheeseman) Cheeseman * '' Colobanthus subulatus'' (d'Urv.) Hook. f. * '' Colobanthus wallii'' Petrie

References

Caryophyllaceae genera {{Caryophyllaceae-stub