Stellaria fontinalis

Stellaria fontinalis
Image shows the small, green flower.
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Caryophyllaceae
Genus:	Stellaria
Species:	S. fontinalis
Binomial name
Stellaria fontinalis (Short and Peter) B.L. Robinson

Stellaria fontinalis, commonly called American water starwort^[1] or Kentucky starwort,^[2] is a flowering plant in the carnation family. It is a very rare species, endemic to the Nashville Basin of Tennessee, the Kentucky River Pallisades of Kentucky, and in one county in northern Alabama. It is found in wet limestone areas, often on cliffs or ledges where water seeps over the rocks.

Line drawing

Stellaria 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 Sagina, Minuartia, or Arenaria among others.^[2]

References