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Eremogone congesta

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Eremogone congesta
Arenaria congesta in Wenas Wildlife Area

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Eremogone
Species:
E. congesta
Binomial name
Eremogone congesta
(Nutt. ex Torr. & A.Gray) Ikonn.
Synonyms

Arenaria congesta Nutt. ex Torr. & A.Gray

Eremogone 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

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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

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

References

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  1. ^ NatureServe (2024). "Eremogone congesta". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
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Media related to Eremogone congesta at Wikimedia Commons