Arenaria serpyllifolia thyme-leaved sandwort Caryophyllaceae ARSE*; Bx, pb (DeCandido 2001); NY, bl (Stalter and Tang 2002); Q, j (Stalter and Lamont. 2002) ; K (DeCandido 2001); R, hs;

   

Arenaria serpyllifolia. PIANTE ERBACEE. pianteerbacee.wikispaces.com

Arenaria serpyllifolia. PIANTE ERBACEE. pianteerbacee.wikispaces.com (Accessed 9/2017).

Arenaria serpyllifolia is a small annual herb, to 20 cm, diffusely branched, wiry, stems slightly hairy, internodes usually longer than leaves. 

Leaves opposite, egg-shaped, margin hairy, rough textured, to 0.5 cm long, 0.4 cm long, similar to common chickweed but leaves smaller. 

Arenaria serpyllifolia flower. commons.wikimedia.org

Arenaria serpyllifolia flower. commons.wikimedia.org (Accessed 9/2017).

Flowers white, petals 5, entire, usually shorter than sepals; blooms May-Aug. 

Fruit dry, hollow, an ovoid, 6-valved capsule, seeds numerous. 

Arenaria serpyllifolia fruit. Dan Tenaglia. missouriplants.com

Arenaria serpyllifolia fruit. Dan Tenaglia. missouriplants.com (Accessed 9/2017).

Wetland status: FAC. 

Frequency in NYC: Infrequent. 

Origin: Eurasia. 

Habitat: Open areas, roadsides, sandy soil.