''Minuartia glabra'', commonly called Appalachian stichwort, is a species of flowering plant in the carnation 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 native to the eastern United States, where it has a scattered distribution.
Its natural habitat is areas of
siliceous rock
Siliceous rocks are sedimentary rocks that have silica (SiO2) as the principal constituent. The most common siliceous rock is chert; other types include diatomite. They commonly form from silica-secreting organisms such as radiolarians, diatoms, or ...
outcrops, which include
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
,
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
,
gneiss
Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...
, and
schist
Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes o ...
. In the
Cumberland Mountains
The Cumberland Mountains are a mountain range in the southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains. They are located in western Virginia, southwestern West Virginia, the eastern edges of Kentucky, and eastern middle Tennessee, including the ...
, this species is a major component of sandstone glade communities. Due to its narrow habitat requirements, this species is uncommon throughout its range.
''Minuartia glabra'' is a small, delicate annual. It produces white flowers in late spring and early summer. It is similar to ''Minuartia groenlandica'', which it was historically considered a variety of. It can be distinguished from ''M. groenlandica'' by its taller stature, annual habit, upright and not mat-forming growth, smaller petals, and flowers in greater number per cyme.
In addition, ''M. glabra'' is found in lower elevations than ''M. groenlandica''.
''Minuartia glabra''
New England Wildflower Society
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15571542
glabra