Paronychia argentea - Paronychia - (Caryophillaceae)

Paronychia argentea

This is a plant that forms dense mats in sandy places such as sand dunes and along coastal paths and tracks . Its flowers are rather curious and papery in appearance - they have sepals but no petals.

This wildflower is a member of the Pink family (Caryophyllaceae) and blooms from December to July. It is distributed extensively in the western and central Mediterranean region, in Spain and also in Crete and North Africa. Paronychia argentea can easily be confused with Paronychia capitata which looks very similar and grows in the same habitats although its flowering season is somewhat shorter, from March until June.

This specimen was photographed in the Algarve in Portugal in April.