Description
The genus Spergularia is a group with difficult taxonomy, especially in regard to early records (Rossbach 1940). Early (pre-1848) Chesapeake records of 'S. rubra', when synonymized with S. canadensis, probably refer to Spergularia salina.
Potentially Misidentified Species- Spergularia salina (Saltmarsh Sand-Spurrey) is possibly introduced in the Chesapeake region; S. media (Media Sandspurrey; Lesser Sandspurrey) is introduced on Long Island and interior saline areas; S. canadensis (Canadian Sandspurrey) is native, north of our region (Rossbach 1940; Fernald 1950).
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantae | Magnoliophyta | Magnoliopsida | Caryophylalles | Caryophyllaceae | Spergularia |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1878 | Established | Stable | Introduced | Boundary Resident | Europe | Eurasia | Shipping(Dry Ballast), Agriculture(Agricultural Weed) |
History of Spread
Spergularia rubra (Sand-Spurrey) is a widespread native in Eurasia, but is introduced to North and South America (Rossbach 1940). Fernald (1950) considered it 'apparently indigenous about the Gulf of St. Lawrence; elsewhere naturalized from Europe' but Rossbach (1940) and Gleason and Cronquist (1991) treat it as wholly introduced. Taxonomic confusion complicates the history of this species. Gray (1848) apparently describes a 'Spergularia rubra' from 'sandy fields near brackish water', but distinguishes it from 'var. marina' (S. salina var. salina) 'on the sea coast'. Rossbach (1940) was uncertain about the identity of the species in Gray's description. The earliest vouchered specimen she examined was from Baltimore in 1878. Robinson and Fernald (1908) gave the range as 'e. Quebec to VA and Ontario chiefly near the coast, but rarely maritime'. Rossbach (1940) lists numerous late 19th century records from Nova Scotia to MD and an isolated one from ballast in AL (1870). Inland records are known from OH (1885 onwards, Cusick 1983) and MI (1986). It was present in NM, CA, and WA before 1900, and apparently reached Mexico by 1876 and was collected from Chile in the 1920's (Rossbach 1940).
Aikin's (1837) record of 'Arenaria canadensis...Brackish meadows. Probably synonymous with A. rubra Linn.' from Baltimore probably refers to S. salina, as did a similar record of Brereton (1830) for Washington D.C. ('Arenaria rubra syn. with A. canadensis'). Rossbach (1940) lists specimens of S. rubra from Baltimore (1878), and Washington D.C. (1921). Ward (1881) and Hitchcock and Standley (1919) also reported it from Washington D.C. It was not listed by Shreve et al. (1910); but Brown and Brown (1984) reports it 'on the Coastal Plain, infrequent' in MD. S. rubra is primarily an upland plant of sandy disturbed areas, but it has been reported, presumably from the intertidal zone, on Taylor's Island MD, in the upper Chesapeake Bay (Krauss et al. 1971), and from 'disturbed sands', salt marsh, and salt pans on Assateague Island (Higgins et al. 1971; Hill 1986).
History References - Aikin 1837; Brereton 1830; Brown and Brown 1984; Cusick 1983; Fernald 1950; Gleason and Cronquist 1991; Gray 1848; Harvill et al. 1992; Higgins et al. 1971; Hill 1986; Hitchcock and Standley 1919; Krauss et al. 1971; Robinson and Fernald 1908; Rossbach 1940; Ward 1881
Invasion Comments
None
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 16.0 | 0.0 | 16.0 |
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-poly |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Spergularia rubra (Sand-Spurrey) has no reported economic impacts on Chesapeake Bay or its watershed.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Spergularia rubra (Sand-Spurrey) is apparently not abundant in North America (Fernald 1950; Gleason and Cronquist 1991), and probably is not an important weed.
References - Fernald 1950; Gleason and Cronquist 1991
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Spergularia rubra (Sand-Spurrey) appears to be too uncommon to have significant ecological impacts on native biota in the intertidal zone of Chesapeake Bay.
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Spergularia rubra (Sand-Spurrey) appears to be too uncommon to have significant ecological impacts on exotic biota in the intertidal zone of Chesapeake Bay.
References
Aikin, W. E. A. (1837) Catalogue of phenogamous plants and ferns, native or naturalized, growing in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland., Transactions of the Maryland Academy of Sciences and Literature 1: 55-91Brereton, J. A. (1830) Prodromus of the Flora Columbiana, , Washington, D.C.. Pp.
Brown, Melvin L.; Brown, Russell G. (1984) Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, , College Park. Pp.
Cusick, Allison W. (1983) Spergularia in Ohio, The Michigan Botanist 22: 69-71
Fernald, Merritt L. (1950) Gray's Manual of Botany, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur (1991) Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , Bronx, New York. Pp.
Gray, Asa (1848) A manual of botany of the northern United States., In: (Eds.) . , Boston. Pp.
Harvill, A. M.; Bradley, Ted R.; Stevens, Charles E.; Wieboldt, Thomas F.; Ware, Donna M. E.; Ogle, Douglas W.; Ramsey, Gwynn W.; Fleming, Gary P. (1992) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Burkeville, VA. Pp.
Higgins, Elizabeth A. T.; Rappelye, Robert D.; Brown, Russell G. (1971) The flora and ecology of Assateague Island, University of Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin A-17: 1-61
Hill, Steven R. (1986) An annotated checklist of the vascular flora of Assateague Island (Maryland and Virginia), Castanea 51: 265-305
Hitchcock, A. S.; Standley, P. C. (1919) Flora of the District of Columbia and Vicinity., In: (Eds.) . , Washington, D. C.. Pp.
Kartesz, John T. (1994) A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland., In: (Eds.) . , Portland OR. Pp.
Krauss, R.W.; Brown, R. G.; Rappleye, R. D.; Owens, A. B.; Shearer, C.; Hsiao, E.; Reveal, J. (1971) Checklist of plant species occurring within the hightide limits of the Chesapeake Bay, and its tributaries., , College Park, Maryland. Pp.
Mills, Edward L.; Leach, Joseph H.; Carlton, James T.; Secor, Carol L. (1993) Exotic species in the Great Lakes: a history of biotic crises and anthropogenic introductions., Journal of Great Lakes Research 19: 1-54
Mills, Edward L.; Scheuerell, Mark D.; Carlton, James T.; Strayer, David (1997) Biological invasions in the Hudson River: an inventory and historical analysis., New York State Museum Circular 57: 1-51
Okusanya, Olubkanla T.; Ungar, Irwin A. (1984) The growth and mineral composition of three species of Spergularia as affected by salinity and nutrients at high salinity, American Journal of Botany 71: 439-447
Resource Management Inc. (1993) National list of plant species that occur in wetlands., , Minneapolis.. Pp.
Robinson, Benjamin Lincoln; Fernald, Merrit L. (1908) Gray's New Manual of Botany., , New York. Pp.
Rossbach, Ruth B. (1940) Spergularia in North and South America, Rhodora 42: 57-83, 105-143, 203-
Ward, L. F. (1881) Guide to the flora of Washington and Vicinity, United States National Museum Bulletin 22: 1-264