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Montana Field Guide

Montana Field Guides

Spiny Sandwort - Arenaria aculeata
Other Names:  Eremogone aculeata

Status Under Review
Native Species

Global Rank: G5
State Rank: SU
C-value:


Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:


 

External Links






 
General Description
Mat-forming perennial from a branched caudex. Stems erect, simple, 5–25 cm. Leaves glaucous, needle-like, 10–25 mm long, shorter above. Inflorescence open, dark-tipped glandular-hairy. Flowers: sepals ovate with an acute tip, scarious-margined, 3–5 mm long; petals obovate, 4–10 mm long. Capsules glabrous, 5–9 mm long (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Range Comments
WA to MT south to CA, NV and UT (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 22

(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version) Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density

Recency

 

(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)



Habitat
Sandy or gravelly, granitic soil of exposed ridges, slopes; subalpine and alpine (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Ecology
POLLINATORS
The following animal species have been reported as pollinators of this plant species or its genus where their geographic ranges overlap: Bombus melanopygus and Bombus sylvicola (Wilson et al. 2010, Koch et al. 2012, Williams et al. 2014).


References
  • Literature Cited AboveLegend:   View Online Publication
    • Koch, J., J. Strange, and P. Williams. 2012. Bumble bees of the western United States. Washington, DC: USDA Forest Service, Pollinator Partnership. 143 p.
    • Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
    • Williams, P., R. Thorp, L. Richardson, and S. Colla. 2014. Bumble Bees of North America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 208 p.
    • Wilson, J.S., L.E. Wilson, L.D. Loftis, and T. Griswold. 2010. The montane bee fauna of north central Washington, USA, with floral associations. Western North American Naturalist 70(2): 198-207.
  • Additional ReferencesLegend:   View Online Publication
    Do you know of a citation we're missing?
    • Forcella, F. 1977. Flora, chorology, biomass and productivity of the Pinus albicaulis-Vaccinium scoparium association. M.S. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 99 pp.
    • Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
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Citation for data on this website:
Spiny Sandwort — Arenaria aculeata.  Montana Field Guide.  .  Retrieved on , from