Sabulina verna is a scarce species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, known by the common names spring sandwort, leadwort, golden moss, or Irish moss.Bluestone Perennials: Arenaria verna 'Aurea' It is a small mat-forming, perennial herb. It was first described as Arenaria verna by Carl Linnaeus in 1767 and is known by several synonyms including Minuartia verna.
The small (7–9 mm across), 5-petalled flowers appear on short, downy stems from spring until late summer. The slender leaves have 3 veins.
It ranges across temperate Eurasia and northwestern Africa with a boreal-montane distribution. It is typically found on carboniferous limestone ground. It grows in short grassland, on exposed limestone pavement, on scree slopes and on metal-rich soils, including spoil heaps from lead mining.
Subspecies Five subspecies are accepted. Sabulina verna subsp. brevipetala – Turkey Sabulina verna subsp. grandiflora – Sardinia and Sicily Sabulina verna subsp. hercynica – Belgium, France, and Germany Sabulina verna subsp. kabylica – northwestern Africa (Morocco and Algeria) Sabulina verna subsp. verna – Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Japan, and the eastern Himalayas.
References