Scientific name: Minuartia verna (L.) Hiern
Common name: Spring Sandwort
Description
Habit: A hairless perennial, to 15 cm high.
Stems: Short, trailing to semi-erect stems, forming a compact cushion.
Leaves: Opposite, entire, straight, linear and almost needle-like, 6-20 mm, upper leaves shorter, in crowded tufts.
Flowers: White, actinomorphic, hermaphrodite, in cymes; sepals 5, 3-veined; petals 5, 3-5 mm long, usually longer than sepals; stamens 10; styles 3; ovary superior.
Fruits: A capsule.
Habitat: Limestone rocks, rarely sand-dunes.
Distribution: Frequent in most of Burren and Aran Islands, not recorded elsewhere.
Native status: Native
Of conservation interest: Yes