Arenaria montana

Arenaria montana, the mountain sandwort,^[1] is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to mountainous regions of southwestern Europe, from the Pyrenees to Portugal.^[2] The Latin specific epithet montana refers to mountains or coming from mountains.^[3]

Arenaria Montana in bloom

Arenaria montana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Caryophyllaceae
Genus:	Arenaria
Species:	A. montana
Binomial name
Arenaria montana Sieber ex Steud

Description

Arenaria montana is an evergreen perennial growing 14–22 cm (6–9 in) tall, with lanceolate or ovate green to grayish-green opposite leaves 10–30 mm (0.4–1.2 in) in length.

From mid to late Spring it produces dense clumps of white to near-white flowers approximately 25 mm (1 in) in diameter borne on cymes of 2 to 10 flowers each.^[4][5][2]

Arenaria montana prefers well drained, sandy to sandy loam soils, of moderate (pH 5.5 to 7.5) acidity. It also prefers moist soils, as its shallow root system leaves it vulnerable to drought.^[2][5]

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.^[6]