''Sabulina fontinalis'', commonly called American water starwort or Kentucky starwort, is a flowering plant 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 ...

. It is a very rare species, endemic to the

Nashville Basin The Nashville Basin, also known as the Central Basin, is a term often used to describe the area surrounding Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in which Nashville is located. The Central Basin was caused by an uplifting which produced a dome known as the N ...

of Tennessee, the Kentucky River Pallisades of Kentucky, and in northern Alabama. It is found in wet limestone areas, often on cliffs or ledges where water seeps over the rocks. ''Sabulina fontinalis'' is a winter annual forming dense colonies, which produce very small green flowers in the spring. It has been taxonomically difficult to place, sometimes being included in the genera '' Stellaria'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Minuartia ''Minuartia'' is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as sandworts in the family Caryophyllaceae. Minuartias are small annual or perennial plants which grow in otherwise inhospitable conditions such as on rocky ledges and in stony soil. Th ...

'', or '' Arenaria'' among others.''Stellaria fontinals'' in Flora of North America
/ref> The most recent phylogenetic analysis suggests that it is best placed in the genus '' Sabulina''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15576056 fontinalis Flora of Alabama Flora of Kentucky Flora of Tennessee Endemic flora of the United States Plants described in 1836