''Sagina'' (like ''

Colobanthus ''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 southernmo ...

'' called "pearlworts") is a genus of 20–30 species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s 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 ...

. These are flowering herbs native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere extending south to

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

areas at high altitudes, reaching just south of the equator in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. They are small

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

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 wid ...

herbaceous plants, growing to 5–15 cm. The leaves are opposite, often in tight whorl-like clusters, simple linear, typically 5–20 mm long. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are solitary or in small cymes, with four or five green sepals and an equal number of white petals; the petal size relative to the sepal size is useful in species identification. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a small capsule containing several

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s.Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan .African Flowering Plants Database
''Sagina''
/ref>Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). ''Flora of Britain and Northern Europe''. Flora of China
''Sagina''
/ref>

Species

The following species are accepted by '' The Plant List'': *''

Sagina abyssinica ''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 ...

'' Hochst. ''ex'' A. Rich. *'' Sagina afroalpina'' Hedberg *'' Sagina apetala'' Ard. *'' Sagina caespitosa'' Lange *''

Sagina chilensis ''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 ...

'' Naudin *'' Sagina decumbens'' (Elliott) Torr. & A.Gray *''

Sagina glabra ''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 ...

'' (Willd.) Fenzl *'' Sagina graminifolia'' Wedd. *''

Sagina humifusa ''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 ...

'' (Cambess.) Fenzl ''ex'' Rohrbach ''in'' Martius *''

Sagina japonica ''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 ...

'' (Sw.) Ohwi *'' Sagina maritima'' G.Don *'' Sagina maxima'' A. Gray *'' Sagina micropetala'' Rauschert *'' Sagina nivalis'' (Lindblad) Fr. *'' Sagina nodosa'' (L.) Fenzl * ''Sagina'' × ''normaniana'' Lagerh. *'' Sagina pilifera'' (DC.) Fenzl *'' Sagina procumbens'' L. *'' Sagina sabuletorum'' (J.Gay) Lange *'' Sagina saginoides'' (L.) H.Karst. *'' Sagina stridii'' Kit Tan, Zarkos & Christodoulou *'' Sagina subulata'' (Sw.) C.Presl

References

Caryophyllaceae genera {{Caryophyllaceae-stub