The 'Grey Man' of the British Flora

The 'grey man' concept is about surviving by never drawing attention to yourself, blending into the background, giving no lasting impression. Sea Pearlwort (Sagina maritima) has this down to a T. Poor thing.

Photo by Geoffrey Hall, NatureSpot website for Leicestershire & Rutland

I suspect I have been overlooking this annual species, and I suspect this will be case for many others also. Particularly those like me who largely botanise inland and therefore do not have this species on their radar as a possibility. Mike Wilcox has recently drawn my attention to the presence of this species at St Aidan's (VC64), and having been for a look I had seen it previously and just ignored it as seedling Procumbent Pearlwort (Sagina procumbens). How wrong I was. After this I found it in pavement cracks in Leeds (VC63). Mike knows this species well from Bradford, about as far from the sea as you can get.

Photo by David Nicholls, NatureSpot website for Leicestershire & Rutland

Part of the problem is that this species is very variable, and many populations comprise tiny plants (2 pence coin size), so it is easily missed. Published descriptions are also not adequate, for example in Stace it is described as 'diffusely branched +/- erect annual'. Not strongly prostrate as per my plants and the photos above. The associated key also links the species to other annual species, the unintended mental image of which (coupled with the description) is a plant similar in character to these other species. The key jizz of the plant as shown above is a central rosette with flowering branches arising around its margins, and no sterile shoots (unlike the perennial species).

I was please to have opportunity again to use my bargain £10 macrolens for my iPhone. Quite pleased with the result below.