
Belongs within: Caryophyllaceae.
Minuartia is a genus of herbs found in north Africa, southern Asia and North America (Hickman 1993).
Characters (from Hickman 1993): Annual, perennial, erect to mat-forming, taprooted or rhizomed. Leaf blade thread-like to awl-shaped or narrowly oblong; veins or ribs 1–3. Inflorescence a cyme, terminal or axillary; flowers 2–many, open to more or less dense, or flower solitary; peduncles and pedicels 0.5–35+ mm. Flower with hypanthium short, obscure; sepals 5, more or less free, 1.9–7 mm, more or less lanceolate to ovate, glabrous to glandular-hairy; petals 5 or 0, 0.7–10 mm, entire or notched; stamens arising from an obscure to prominent disk; styles 3.0.3–2 mm. Fruit a capsule, narrowly ovoid to widely elliptic; teeth 3, ascending to recurved. Seeds 1–many, reddish tan to reddish, purplish, or blackish brown.
<==Minuartia
|--M. bulgaricaKB96
|--M. californica [=Arenaria californica; incl. A. pusilla var. diffusa]H93
|--M. decumbensH93
|--M. dichotomaC55b
|--M. douglasii [=Arenaria douglasii; incl. A. douglasii var. emarginata]H93
|--M. hirsutaKB96
| |--M. h. ssp. hirsutaKB96
| `--M. h. ssp. falcataKB96
|--M. howellii [=Arenaria howellii]H93
|--M. hybridaPT98
|--M. kashmiricaO88
|--M. montanaC55a
|--M. nuttallii [=Arenaria nuttallii]H93
| |--M. n. ssp. nuttalliiH93
| |--M. n. ssp. fragilis [=Arenaria nuttallii ssp. fragilis]H93
| |--M. n. ssp. gracilis [=Arenaria nuttallii ssp. gracilis]H93
| `--M. n. ssp. gregaria [=Arenaria nuttallii ssp. gregaria]H93
|--M. obtusiloba [=Arenaria obtusiloba]H93
|--M. pusilla [=Arenaria pusilla]H93
|--M. rosei [=Arenaria rosei]H93
|--M. rubella [=Arenaria rubella]H93
|--M. sinaicaDH98
|--M. stoloniferaH93
|--M. strictaH93
`--M. vernaKB96
|--M. v. ssp. vernaKB96
`--M. v. ssp. collinaKB96
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[C55a] Candolle, A. de. 1855a. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 1. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.
[C55b] Candolle, A. de. 1855b. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 2. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.
[DH98] Danin, A., & I. C. Hedge. 1998. Contributions to the flora of Jordan 2. A new species of Satureja (Labiatae) and some new records. Willdenowia 28: 135–142.
[H93] Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press: Berkeley (California).
[KB96] Konstantinou, M., & D. Babalonas. 1996. Metal uptake by Caryophyllaceae species from metalliferous soils in northern Greece. Plant Systematics and Evolution 203: 1–10.
[O88] Ohba, H. 1988. The alpine flora of the Nepal Himalayas: an introductory note. In: Ohba, H., & S. B. Malla (eds) The Himalayan Plants vol. 1. The University Museum, University of Tokyo, Bulletin 31: 19–46.
[PT98] Panitsa, M., & D. Tzanoudakis. 1998. Contribution to the study of the Greek flora: flora and vegetation of the E Aegean islands Agathonisi and Pharmakonisi. Willdenowia 28: 95–116.