Five-Stamened Spurry Care

Five-stamened spurry, native to Europe, southwestern Asia and northwestern Africa, has limited occurrences in North America. In New England it has been collected only in Connecticut.

Plants glabrous or moderately pubescent. Stems often branched proximally, 5-30 cm. Leaf blades usually flat, 0.5-1.5 cm, usually not channeled abaxially. Pedicels erect to ascending, spreading or, sometimes, reflexed in fruit, not secund. Flowers: sepals 2.5-4 mm; petals ± lanceolate, 3/ 7/ 8 times as long as sepals in flower, apex acute to acuminate; stamens usually 5. Capsule valves 4-5 mm. Seeds winged, lenticular, 0.6-0.9 mm wide, surface minutely roughened or obscurely tuberculate (50×), papillae absent or relatively few in marginal ring; wings usually white, sometimes slightly tannish, 0.4-0.6 mm wide. 2n = 18 (Europe).

Flowering spring-early summer. Sandy fields, other disturbed areas; 0-100 m; introduced; Conn., N.J., N.C., Va.; Europe; sw Asia; nw Africa; introduced in Australia.

This plant might be poisonous

How to get rid of: Can be removed by pulling by hand after prying up with a shovel from underneath to loosen the ground. When soil is moist, push a sharp spade or dandelion digger into the soil, angled downward toward the center of the plant, and loosen the soil around it.