Moehringia lateriflora

Moehringia lateriflora
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Caryophyllaceae
Genus:	Moehringia
Species:	M. lateriflora
Binomial name
Moehringia lateriflora (L.) Fenzl
Synonyms
Alsinanthus lateriflorus (L.) Desv. Alsine lateriflora (L.) Crantz Arenaria buxifolia Poir. Arenaria haenkeana Bartl. Arenaria lateriflora L. Arenaria lateriflora var. angustifolia H. St. John Arenaria lateriflora var. taylorae H. St. John Arenaria lateriflora var. tenuicaulis Blankinship Arenaria pensylvanica Muhl. Moehringia lateriflora var. angustifolia Regel

Moehringia lateriflora, commonly known as the bluntleaf sandwort, is a plant species native to Europe, Asia, the northern United States and most of Canada. It has been reported from every province and territory in Canada except the Northwest Territories, as well as every state in the northern half of the US, including Alaska, plus New Mexico and from Saint Pierre & Miquelon. It is also reported from Russia, China, Korea, Mongolia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine.

Moehringia lateriflora is a perennial herb spreading by means of underground rhizomes, often forming large colonies. Aerial stems are up to 30 cm long, covered with retrorse (pointing down toward the base of the stem) hairs. Leaves are broad, up to 35 mm long. Flowers occur singly or in groups of two to five. Petals are white, up to 6 mm long, generally twice as long as the sepals. It grows in forests, meadows, shores of rivers or lakes, and woodlands.