Paronychia kapela aka Silver Nailwort

Paronychia kapela is known as nailwort. It belongs to the Caryophyllaceae family. It comes from the Mediterranean region. Kew lists it as a plant of temperate climates. The RHS says it is not native to Britain or Ireland. Kew calls its life form a subshrub, or small shrub. NC State calls it an alpine plant that forms evergreen groundcover. These sources describe a long-lived plant that grows close to the ground. It lives for more than one year. It does not die after just one season.

The blue-green leaves have a narrow, lanceolate, or lance-shaped, form. They have no hairs, as the NC State account notes. The plant keeps its broad leaves all year. This leaf cover gives it value when it has no flowers. The same source says its stems have no scent. The supplied species accounts give no height or spread at full size. They give no facts about its bark or fruit, either. Here, its groundcover habit defines its garden form, not a known size.

Small, greenish-white flowers start to open in summer. Silvery bracts, or leaf-like parts, grow around the flowers. These bracts add to the show of blooms. NC State lists green, white, and silver as flower colours. The show lasts into fall, which adds to its season of interest. NC State lists both summer and fall as bloom times. Its text says that bloom starts in summer. It gives no exact months for this species. The bracts last and form part of the show with the small flowers.

Grow nailwort in full sun, in soil that drains well. NC State defines full sun as at least six hours of direct sun each day. It accepts a range of soils as long as they drain well. The same source says it can cope with drought. Its listed USDA hardiness range spans zones 4 through 7. The supplied species evidence gives no UK hardiness rating.

NC State lists pots, rock gardens, and borders as garden uses. Its low form and year-round leaves suit these groundcover roles. Its blue-green leaves and pale bracts give it its main visual traits. The supplied accounts do not assess pests or diseases. They do not assess its risk of becoming a weed. They give no evidence about which parts are edible. They also give no evidence about whether it is toxic.