[Sandworts: The Genus Moehringia East of the Cascade Mts. of Oregon and Washington]

Bigleaf Sandwort, Big-leaf Sandwort, Large-leaf Sandwort

Moehringia macrophylla

Synonym: Arenaria macrophylla

Big-leaf sandwort as found on Wedge Mt., Wenatchee National Forest.........June 8, 2009.

Additional photos of the flowers of bluntleaf sandwort as seen in meadows along the Little Spokane River about one mile west of the Painted Rocks.........June 2, 2008.

The photo at right illustrates big-leaf sandwort as found at Blewitt Pass in the Wenatchee NF.........June 23, 1997.

Characteristics:

Big-leaf sandwort is a small perennial with numerous slender rhizomes which forms loose mats or patches of plants. The stems are spreading to erect and often branched. They rise 5-15 cm high and are 3 to 4-angled in cross-section. The numerous leaves are linear-elliptic to linear-lanceolate in shape with acute tips. The leaves range from 2-5 cm long and 3-15 mm wide.

The 2-5 flowers are found in loose, bracteate cymes at the leaf axils and terminus of the stems. The slender pedicels are up to 3 cm long. The sepals are ovate-lanceolate in shape with pointed tips and measure 3-5 mm in length. The 5 white petals range from shorter than the sepals to half again as long as the sepals.

Habitat:

Big-leaf sandwort is a plant of moist to dry, shaded to open woods, meadows and rocky slopes.

Range:

Big-leaf sandwort may be found from British "Columbia southward along both sides of the Cascade Mts. to California. It may be found eastward to Labrador and the Atlantic coast, and south through the Rocky Mts. to New Mexico.

Examples of bigleaf sandwort as seen in coniferous forest along Forest Service Road #1640 above its junction with Forest Service Road #1648, Malheur National Forest........July 1, 2010.

Bigleaf sandwort as seen at left along the Line Butte Trail #807 on the south side of Lookout Mountain, Ochoco National Forest.........June 22, 2017.

Paul Slichter