Minuartia recurva, the recurved sandwort or sickle-leaved sandwort,[1] is a rare tufted, calcifugous chamaephyte perennial flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It blooms from late spring to the end of summer.[2]
This perennial, densely tufted, hairy plant has a woody base and flowering stems up to 150NaN0 in length. The stems are wiry and lignified, with acicular leaves with three veins, curving to the side to a greater of lesser extent. The flowers are grouped in glandular flower-heads, the individual flowers being white and five-petaled. The inflorescence is a 1–8-flowered cyme. Sepals are 3to long with 5–7 veins and are ovate-lanceolate; petals are 4to long and ovate. The fruit is an ovoid capsule up to 52NaN2 in length.[3]
Minuartia recurva is found in mountainous regions of southern Europe and southwest Asia.
It is also found in Ireland's Caha Mountains, first noted there in 1964.[4] [5]