Sea-spurrey, Lesser

Information on Lesser Sea-spurrey

Common Name: Lesser Sea-spurrey
Scientific Name: Spergularia marina
Irish Name: CabrĂ³is mhara bheag
Family Group: Caryophyllaceae
Distribution: View Map (Courtesy of the BSBI)
Flowering Period


Click for list of all flowering by month
Lesser Sea-spurrey could sometimes be confused with:

Sea-spurrey, Greater, Sea-spurrey, Rock, Spurrey, Sand,

Found on coastal shingle, the upper reaches of saltmarshes and on muddy shores, this little wildflower is a prostrate, trailing and sometimes sticky annual. From May to September, it bears its pretty 5-petalled flowers (6-9mm across) on fleshy stalks. These flowers are deep pink, each petal becoming white towards the centre of the corolla where the 4-7 stamens occur.  The sepals are longer than the petals. The plant's narrow fleshy leaves are slightly pointed and are in opposite pairs, having a little stipule at their base.  Lesser Sea-spurrey is a member of the Caryophyllaceae or Pink family and is a native plant.   

I first found this plant at Dalkey, Co Dublin in 1975 and photographed it at Tacumshane Lake, Co Wexford in 2009.  

If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre

The Caryophyllaceae or Pink family contains many well-known garden plants such as Carnation,  Sweet William and Baby's Breath.

Sea-spurrey, Lesser
Sea-spurrey, Lesser
Sea-spurrey, Lesser
Sea-spurrey, Lesser