''Herniaria lusitanica'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Caryophyllales Caryophyllales ( ) is a diverse and heterogeneous order of flowering plants that includes the cacti, carnations, amaranths, ice plants, beets, and many carnivorous plants. Many members are succulent, having fleshy stems or leaves. The betalai ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

and the

Berlengas The Berlengas are a Portuguese archipelago consisting of small Atlantic islands off the coast of Peniche, Portugal, in the Oeste region. These islands were traditionally known to British mariners as "the Burlings". The only inhabited island is ...

archipelago.

Description

''Herniaria lusitanica'' is an annual (subsp. ''lusitanica''), biannual or perennial (subsp. ''berlengiana'') plant. It has very ramified stems, leaves and densely packed glomeruli with 4-15 flowers.

Distribution and habitat

''Herniaria lusitanica'' is native to the Iberian Peninsula and the

archipelago of Portugal. It grows in agricultural fields, pathways and altered land in dry places.

Subspecies

It has two subspecies: * ''H. lusitanica'' subsp. ''lusitanica'': Native to the Iberian Peninsula. * ''H. lusitanica'' subsp. ''berlengiana'': Native to the Berlengas archipelago.

References

lusitanica Flora of Portugal Flora of Spain Flora of Southwestern Europe {{Caryophyllaceae-stub