Herniaria cachemiriana

Perennial, prostrate, spreading herb. Stem and branches with 3-20 mm (rarely upto 30 mm) long internodes, beset with short, spreading or deflexed hairs. Leaves opposite, sessile, younger ones strigose pubescent, older dorsally sub-glabrous, blade usually elliptic- oblanceolate to obovate, rarely somewhat oblique, oblong, usually 3-10 mm (rarely upto 15 mm) long and 1.5-5 mm wide, acute to obtuse, margin entire with long acroscopic hairs; stipules minute, membran¬ous, ovate-triangular with ciliate margins, white. Inflorescence dense leaf opposed cymose clusters of 5-8 flowers. Flowers green pentamerous, c. 1.8-2 mm long, turbinate when open, subcylindrical when close, subsessile to sessile, densely covered with straight spreading hairs. Sepals 5, free, all equal, c. 1 mm long, oblongish-elliptic, obtuse to subacute, margins membranous, hairy. Petals 5, setaceous, c. 0.5 mm long, white. Stamens 5, filaments minute. Ovary ovoid, papillose in the upper half; style distinct, bifid to bifurcate, stigmas 2, divergent with age. Fruit ovoid, almost equal to and enclosed by persistent sepals, papillose in the upper half. Seed lenticular.

Distribution: Iran; Afghanistan; West Pakistan.

Fl. Per. June-September.