Numerous pretty, star-like white flowers light up on this perennial wildflower of meadows, hedgerows and bushy places. Each flower (5-15mm across) has 5 deeply cleft petals which are only slightly longer than the sepals and these flowers are borne in loose cymes from May to August on smooth-edged stems. The petals of this flower are so deeply cleft as to make it appear to have ten and not five petals. The leaves are long, narrow and smooth edged and pointed. Found rarely on lime soil, this is a native plant which belongs to the family Caryophyllaceae.
My first record of this plant is in 2007 at Glenmalure, Co Wicklow and I photographed it at that time.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
