Family |
Caryophyllaceae
Sabulina juniperina
(L.) Dillenb. & Kadereit
Sabulina juniperina (L.) Dillenb. & Kadereit
≡ Minuartia juniperina (L.) Maire & Petitm.
≡ Arenaria juniperina L.
≡ Alsine juniperina (L.) Fenzl (syn., POWO)
(First published in Taxon 63: 86; 2014. Treated in Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 463, Pl. CLVIII nº 6; 1966, as Minuartia juniperina (L.) Maire & Petitm.)
• Life-form & habit: Perennial, cespitose herb with woody base; stems persistent, thickened at nodes, more or less creeping.
• Leaves: Rigid, subspinescent, slightly arcuate, 15 – 25 mm long, opposite, linear-subulate, persistent; floral leaves shorter.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Cymes grouped into a simple or compound umbel; two small bracts at each division. Sepals lanceolate, acuminate, 3-nerved; petals linear, slightly longer than the calyx, white.
• Fruit: Capsule slightly exceeding the calyx; seeds finely tuberculate.
• Phenology: Flowers May – July.
• Habitat & elevation: Rocky alpine and subalpine slopes, 1 800 – 3 000 m.
• Lebanese distribution: Mount Sannine, Hasroun, Bcharré, Sir ed-Dennieh, Qala‘at ‘Arrouba, Cedars of Bsharré, Foum el-Mizhab, Qornet es-Saouda, Hermon, Talaat Moussa, Jabal Halimé, Zemrani.
• Native range: Greece, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, NW. Balkan Peninsula, Turkey (POWO).
• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: Described originally as Arenaria juniperina L. and later placed in Minuartia; transferred to Sabulina by Dillenberger & Kadereit (2014) following phylogenetic analysis of the Minuartia complex. Closely allied to S. libanotica, differing by its longer, rigid, subspinescent leaves and more robust cespitose habit.