Herniaria cinerea

Annual with slender taproot; shortly patent-hispid. Stems prostrate, greyish or light green, 1–20 cm long. Leaves more or less sessile, upper often alternate, obovate-elliptic to oblanceolate, 3–10 mm long, 0.6–2.5 mm wide, ciliate; stipules broad to very broad, scarious, ciliate. Inflorescence clusters more or less globular, leaf-opposed or contiguous, 6–12-flowered; bracts scarious, ciliate. Flowers 1–1.5 mm long, pedicel very short to absent; sepals unequal, more or less concavo-convex, green, 1–1.5 mm long, more or less densely bristly, at least the lower bristles uncinate; petals white, minute, filiform; stamens 2(–4). Achene ovoid-globose, 0.6–0.8 mm long; seeds dark reddish-brown, 0.5–0.7 mm diam. Flowers Aug.–Jan.