Red sandspurry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Red sandspurry
Scientific classification
Genus:	Spergularia
Species:	rubra

The Spergularia rubra, also known as the red sandspurry or red sand-spurrey, is a type of plant. It belongs to the Caryophyllaceae family, which includes many flowering plants like carnations. This plant is originally from Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

You can now find the red sandspurry on other continents too. It has spread to places like North and South America and Australia. In these new areas, it is considered an introduced species. This means it was brought there by people, not by nature. It often grows as a common weed, which is a plant that grows where it is not wanted. The red sandspurry can grow in many different kinds of places.

What Does Red Sandspurry Look Like?

The red sandspurry is a small plant. It can be an annual or a perennial. An annual plant lives for only one growing season. A perennial plant lives for more than two years.

Stems and Leaves

This plant has a thin stem that can grow up to about 25 centimeters (about 10 inches) long. The stem feels a bit sticky because it is glandular. This means it has tiny glands that produce a sticky substance.

The stem has many leaves. These leaves are slightly fleshy, meaning they are a bit thick. They are shaped like thin lines or threads and are usually less than 2 centimeters long. Sometimes, the tips of the leaves can have hard points or even small spines.

At the base of each leaf, you will find shiny white, lance-shaped stipules. Stipules are small leaf-like parts that grow where the leaf meets the stem.

Flowers and Petals

The flowers of the red sandspurry grow in a few places. They appear where the leaves join the stem, which are called leaf axils. They also grow at the very tips of the stems.

Each flower has five round or oval-shaped pink petals. Before the petals, there are hairy, glandular sepals. Sepals are like small, leaf-like structures that protect the flower bud before it opens.