Annual with fibrous roots; glabrous, glaucous. Stems slender, erect, with few ascending basal branches, 3–12 cm high. Basal leaves rosulate, shortly petiolate, soon withering; upper leaves sessile, linear-lanceolate to linear, 5–15 mm long, 0.7–2 mm wide, acute. Inflorescence lax, few-flowered. Flowers c. 8 mm diam.; pedicels rigidly erect, glabrous, 10–50 mm long; calyx glabrous, sepals lanceolate, acute, with broad, white-scarious margins, 4.5–7 mm long; petals white, two-thirds the length of sepals; styles 4. Capsule equalling or slightly longer than sepals, more or less cylindric, opening by 8 teeth; seeds reddish-brown, finely tuberculate, 0.5–0.7 mm diam. Flowers Aug.–Nov.
LoM, Wim, GleP, VVP, VRiv, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, MonT, VAlp. Also naturalised SA, NSW, Tas. Native to central and southern Europe. A widespread weed of disturbed soils in southern Australia.
Source:
Adams, L.G. (1996). Caryophyllaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 3, Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae, pp. 228–271. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
