Sabulina verna

Sabulina verna
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Sabulina
Species:
S. verna
Binomial name
Sabulina verna
(L.) Rchb. (1832)
Subspecies
  • Sabulina verna subsp. brevipetala (Hartvig & Å.Strid) Dillenb. & Kadereit
  • Sabulina verna subsp. grandiflora (C.Presl) Dillenb. & Kadereit
  • Sabulina verna subsp. hercynica (Willk.) Dillenb. & Kadereit
  • Sabulina verna subsp. kabylica (Pomel) Dillenb. & Kadereit
  • Sabulina verna subsp. verna
Synonyms
  • Alsine verna (L.) Wahlenb. (1812)
  • Alsine verna var. montana Fenzl (1841), not validly publ.
  • Arenaria verna L. (1767)
  • Cherleria verna (L.) Samp. (1913)
  • Minuartia verna (L.) Hiern (1899)
  • Tryphane verna (L.) Rchb. (1841)

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. 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.