Spergularia macrotheca is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common name sticky sandspurry. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Baja California, where it grows in many types of moist coastal and inland habitat, often in alkaline and saline substrates. It may be found in marshes, alkali flats, beaches, meadows, seeps, and vernal pools. It is a perennial herb producing a narrow stem up to 40 centimeters long with a woody, thickened base and taproot. They may grow erect or prostrate across the ground. It is covered in sticky glandular hairs, especially in the inflorescence. The stems are lined with fleshy linear leaves, sometimes tipped with spines. The leaves are accompanied by triangular stipules up to a centimeter long each. Flowers occur in clusters at the end of the stem as well as in leaf axils. The small flowers have five pointed sepals and five oval white to lavender-pink petals. The fruit is a capsule containing tiny reddish brown, winged seeds.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Spergularia macrotheca has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens20
Marker genes5
GenBank sequences10
eDNA detections6
Countries2
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
Spergularia macrotheca var. macrotheca isolate CAR887 internal transcribed spacer 1 and 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene, partial sequence
Marker genes sequenced
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★matK★rbcL4★rbcLa★ITS6★ITS2
plant barcodefungal barcode
06Genome at a glanceGoaT
The complete instruction manualSpergularia macrotheca carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
Ploidypolyploid inferred
Ploidy records — measured levels and diploid/polyploid inferences · click for sources
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy91% within 1 km
≤100 m 279≤1 km 51≤10 km 28>10 km 6
364 georeferenced · 98 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor462
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy60% within 1 km
≤100 m 50≤1 km 187≤10 km 149>10 km 6
392 georeferenced · 171 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence563
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions33 of 45 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Claremont, US
115
Santa Barbara, US
57
San Diego, US
52
US
36
Riverside, US
34
San Luis Obispo, US
25
WTUlocation not on record
24
Arcata, US
18
Pullman, US
16
San Francisco, US
10
Davis, US
10
Corvallis, US
9
DOI/NPS, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Sitelocation not on record
6
Canadian Department of Agriculturelocation not on record
4
Angwin, US
4
Phoenix, US
4
San Jose, US
3
Bloomington, US
3
Fredericton Stock Culture Collectionlocation not on record
3
Santa Cruz, US
3
Ensenada, MX
3
Mexico City, MX
3
Pomona Collegelocation not on record
3
DOI/NPS, San Juan Island National Historical Parklocation not on record
2
Wellington, NZ
2
La Paz, MX
2
Meguro Parasitological Museumlocation not on record
2
ASUlocation not on record
2
Bronx, US
2
Arizona State University Biocollectionslocation not on record
2
Chongqing Museumlocation not on record
2
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
2
Tampa, US
1
Los Angeles, US
1
Kew, GB
1
University of British Columbia, Herbariumlocation not on record
1
Turlock, US
1
Saint Louis, US
1
Cheney, US
1
EL PASO, US
1
Vancouver, CA
1
Northridge, US
1
Victoria, CA
1
Wuzhou, CN
1
Bangkok, TH
1
45 institutions · 476 of 563 vouchered records shown · 87 without an institution code
09Environmental DNA6 detections
Where the DNA of Spergularia macrotheca was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found6
Studies independent surveys1
Countries2
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 6 detections have coordinates
Open the map2 countries0
Compacted clay depression by rocky dykeSandy depressions inside concrete seawall, f…Headland with Type-converted Non-Native Gras…
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median14.9 °C 13.4–14.9
Seasonal swing summer↔winter9.40 °C
Max temp (day)17.2 °C 15.5–17.8
Min temp (night)11.6 °C 11.6–12.9
Precipitation30.7 mm/mo 19.9–38.2
Air humidity60.4 % 60.3–63.4
Moisture balance-94.9 mm/mo -117–-74.7
Vapour deficit606 Pa 597–660
Wind speed3.50 m/s 3.50–3.60
Cloud cover32.3 % 31.8–37.3
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 3 detection points · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.