Spergula spp.

spurry

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterLow

Overview

Spergula spp. is a genus of slender annual herbs in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to Europe and now naturalized worldwide as a weed of arable land. Plants form low, much-branched tufts 4-16 inches (10-40 cm) tall with weak, ascending stems. The thread-like leaves are 0.5-1.5 inches (1-4 cm) long and arranged in dense whorls along the stem, giving a feathery look. Small white flowers about 0.2 inch (4-6 mm) across, each with five petals, open in loose sprays from late spring through summer. The flowers give way to tiny capsules holding many seeds. S. arvensis, corn spurry, grows on acid, sandy, and disturbed soils and has long been a weed of cereal and root crops; it was also once sown as a fodder and green-manure crop. Plants complete their cycle in a single season and can produce several generations a year, building large seed banks.

Native Range

Spergula spp. is native to Europe and parts of Asia and has naturalized across North and South America, Africa, and Australasia. Species grow on acid, sandy, and gravelly soils in fields, gardens, roadsides, and other disturbed ground.

Suggested Uses

Spergula spp. is grown occasionally as a green-manure or fodder cover crop on poor, acid soils, and is otherwise treated as an arable and garden weed. Sown crops are broadcast and turned under before seeding. It has little ornamental use.

How to Identify

Recognized by low, branched annual tufts with thread-like leaves set in dense whorls that look like clusters of needles at each node. Small white five-petalled flowers about 0.2 inch (4-6 mm) across open on thin stalks above the foliage. The whorled, needle-like leaves separate the genus from the related sandworts and chickweeds, which carry leaves in opposite pairs.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height4" - 1'4"

Width/Spread4" - 1'

Colors

Flower Colors

white

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

no change

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~16 weeks

Spring Summer

Flowering runs from late spring through summer, generally May to September. Loose sprays of small white flowers open on slender stalks and close in dull weather. Seed capsules follow quickly, so flowering and seeding overlap through the season.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

Green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-8 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range4.5 - 6.5(Acidic)

357912

Soil Types

sand loam

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Spergula spp. needs no cultivation and grows as a fast annual on acid, sandy, and low-fertility soils in full sun. It germinates over a long season, tolerates poor and compacted ground, and matures seed within a few weeks of flowering. Even moisture speeds growth, though plants also set seed on dry, thin soils. Where it is unwanted, removal before flowering prevents the rapid build-up of seed. As a sown green-manure or fodder crop it is broadcast onto cleared ground and turned in before it seeds. It dies back completely at the end of its season.

Pruning

No pruning applies to this annual. Where it is grown as a green manure, the whole stand is cut or dug in before seed sets. As a weed, plants are hoed or pulled before flowering to limit seeding.

Pruning Schedule

summer

✓ Toxicity

Non-toxic

Annual