PLANT PROFILE

Minuartia caroliniana
pine barrens sandwort



Minuartia caroliniana
Minuartia caroliniana
Photo courtesy Renee Brecht
Britton & Brown
Botanical name: Minuartia caroliniana
Common name: pine barrens sandwort
Group: dicot
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Growth type: forb/herb
Duration: perennial
Origin: native
Plant height: 4 - 10"
Foliage: leaves opposite, entire, short (1/4"-1"), leaves stiff and pointed; forms dense mats
Flower: 5 petals, white, green at the base
Flowering time: early June to late July, occasionally through the summer
Habitat: dry sands
Range in New Jersey: Pine Barrens
Heritage ranking, if any: n/a
Distribution:
Misc. Stone, in 1910, says, " Frequent in white sand in the Pine Barrens, but not found elsewhere in the State nor anywhere farther north, except on Staten or Long Islands.

This little plant, the "Longroot" of the natives, is characteristic of the barest patches of white sand, of which, except for a few grasses, it is often the sole occupant. At other times it is associated with Linaria canadensis and Chysopsis falcata and species of Lechea. The little awl-shaped leaves form dense tufted rosettes, resembling some species of moss, and from these the slender branching flower stalks stand up to a height of two or three inches. The white flowers, with their greenish centers are very delicate and attractive, but difficult to distinguish against the white sand. The stalks are somewhat glandular and sand grains and the ever-present mosquitoes are sometimes found adhering to them."(440)