Carnegiea gigantea, Giant Saguaro

Southwest Desert Flora

Home to the plants of the Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Mojave Deserts

Cirsium ochrocentrum, Yellowspine Thistle

Herniaria hirsuta, Hairy Rupturewort

Herniaria hirsuta, Hairy Rupturewort, Southwest Desert Flora Herniaria hirsuta, Hairy Rupturewort, Southwest Desert Flora Herniaria hirsuta, Hairy Rupturewort, Southwest Desert Flora


Scientific Name: Herniaria hirsuta
Common Name: Hairy Rupturewort
Also Called:
Family: Caryophyllaceae, Pink Family or Carnation Family
Synonyms: (Herniaria cinerea)
Status: Introduced
Duration: Annual
Size: Up to 1 inch or more.
Growth Form: Forb/herb; prostrate or ascending, stems branching from base, pubescent.
Leaves: Green or gray-green; opposite (below) and alternate (above), leaves linear to oblanceolate, hairy, leaf surfaces stiff or scaly (scarious).
Flower Color: Green or greenish; flowers small in dense axillary clusters, flowers also hairy, fruit is 1-seeded indehiscent in a small bladder or sac (utricle.)
Flowering Season: Spring and Fall.
Elevation: Below 5,500 feet.

Habitat Preferences: Sandy soils, disturbed areas and cracks in asphalt and concrete.

Recorded Range: In the United States in the west, AZ, CA, OR and WA and central states including MA, MD, PA, NY and WI. In is found in central Arizona.

North America & US County Distribution Map for Herniaria hirsuta.

U.S. Weed Information: *Although not legally listed as a weed, this plant is weedy in urban areas in the central part of the state, particularly in disturbed areas, desert landscapes and road and sidewalk crevices.
Invasive/Noxious Weed Information: No data available
Wetland Indicator: No data available
Threatened/Endangered Information: No data available.

Genus Information: 3 species in Herniaria in North America. 1 species in Arizona. 2 sub-species in Herniaria hirsuta;
Herniaria hirsuta ssp. cinerea, Hairy Rupturewort and
Herniaria hirsuta ssp. hirsuta, Hairy Rupturewort.

Comments: Hairy Rupturewort is a diminutive plant introduced to the United States from Europe or Africa it is and common in Arizona. Although not legally listed as a weed, this plant is weedy in urban areas in the central part of the state, particularly in disturbed areas, desert landscapes and road and sidewalk crevices.

Date Profile Completed: 2/3/2015, 07/22/2015, updated format 10/11/2017
References:
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service on-line database – ITIS search
Arizona Flora, Kearney, Thomas H., Peebles, Robert H., 1960, University of California Press, Berkley and Los Angeles, California, as Herniaria cinerea.
John W. Thieret, Ronald L. Hartman, Richard K. Rabeler, FNA | Family List | FNA Vol. 5 | Caryophyllaceae | Herniaria, Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico. 16+ vols. New York and Oxford. (accessed 2/3/2015).
1993, The Jepson Manual, Citation: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/interchange/I_treat_indexes.html (accessed 2/3/2015)
SEINet for synonyms, scientific names and recorded geographic locations, http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/.