Herniaria glabra aka Herniary Breastwort

Herniaria glabra, also known as smooth rupturewort, is a mat-forming, trailing perennial plant that belongs to the family Caryophyllaceae. It can be found in North America and Europe and is characterized by its tiny, vibrant green leaves that form a dense, evergreen ground cover. During late spring to early summer, it produces clusters of tiny green flowers. This biennial/perennial plant is hardy up to zone 5 and is not easily affected by frost. It blooms in July and its seeds ripen in August. Herniaria glabra is a hermaphrodite plant, meaning it has both male and female organs, and is pollinated by insects. It prefers well-drained soil and can tolerate nutritionally poor soil. Although it cannot grow in shady areas, it thrives in light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils with a pH range from acidic to alkaline. It can also withstand drought and strong winds, but not maritime exposure. The stems of Herniaria glabra are numerous, recumbent, and about 5-10 cm tall. The plant emits a coumarin scent when dry, and its root is thin and ligneous. The leaves are small, opposite, and oblong or elliptical in shape, with sizes ranging from 2-10 mm long and 1-3 mm wide. They are yellowish or light green in color and either glabrous or slightly pubescent. The stipules are triangular-ovate, membranous, white, and finely ciliate along the margin, measuring around 1-1.5 mm long. The flowers are sessile and small, about 1 mm in diameter, arranged in 5-12 glomeruli in the leaf axils, resembling a spike at the top of the stems. The calyx is 0.6 mm long and has four to five obtuse sepals that may be glabrous or slightly pubescent at the base. The corolla is either absent or consists of five white threadlike petals that are shorter than the calyx. There are five stamens with filaments slightly shorter than the petals, and oval, yellowish-orange anthers. The pistil has a very short column and a bilobed stigma. The fruit is a non-opening single-seeded capsule, ovoid in shape and measuring 1-1.1 mm long, exceeding the length of the sepals. The seeds are almost round, laterally compressed, black or brown-black, shiny, glabrous, and smooth, with dimensions of 0.5 mm long and 0.4 mm wide. Herniaria glabra blooms from May to September and bears fruit from June to September. It is propagated by seeds. As for its control, mulching the aisles is recommended, with a thick layer of at least 5 cm using mowed grass from the lawn or other sources. This prevents weed germination and helps maintain the growth of cultivated plants. Overall, Herniaria glabra is a useful plant with various characteristics and cultivation requirements.