Arenaria congesta

Arenaria congesta
Arenaria congesta in Wenas Wildlife Area
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Caryophyllaceae
Genus:	Arenaria
Species:	A. congesta
Binomial name
Arenaria congesta Nutt.

Arenaria congesta is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common name ballhead sandwort. It is native to western North America from central Canada to the American southwest.

Description[]

This is a perennial herb forming a tuft of slender upright stems up to about 40 centimeters tall. The leaves are needlelike to thready, up to 8 centimeters long and only a few millimeters wide. They may be fleshy or flat and they often have a very sharp tip. Most of the leaves are located in a patch at the base of the plant, and there are a few scattered along the mostly naked stem.

The inflorescence is an open or rounded cyme of five-petalled white flowers. The fruit is a toothed capsule containing several reddish seeds.

Uses[]

The plant was used for a variety of medicinal purposes by Native American groups, including the Shoshone.

External links[]

Media related to Arenaria congesta at Wikimedia Commons

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• USDA Plants Profile
• Photo Profile
• Ethnobotany
• Photo gallery
• "Arenaria congesta". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.

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