It looks dainty, but looks in this case are deceiving. This is one of the toughest little plants around, adapted to survive under the punishing sun in deep sands, and without much water. We have too much annual rainfall here in the Southeast for any areas to be considered as true deserts. Rather, our driest natural habitats are those that have rainwater drain away quickly (such as flat rock outcrops) or drain through quickly (deep sandy sites).

Its upright stems are devoid of most leaves. Three or more flowers, each on a long stalk, are held in clusters at the ends of these branches. Each flower has 5 showy, snow- white petals and about 10 stamens. The single pistil eventually produces a slick, many-seeded capsule, a quarter of an inch long or so. Plants bloom from April into the early summer, and then the cushiony, somewhat prickly growth at the base persists. This plant is a rather distant relative of a number of garden species, including Sweet-William and the cultivated carnations. (They belong to the same family…that is the "Caryophyllaceae.")

You can find this species in upland, well-drained sandy places, on the coastal plain from northern Florida well into the pine barrens of New Jersey. (There are also historic locations from New York and Rhode Island.) Now "xeric" is a word that means dry, and it is usually true that this plant grows in truly xeric habitats. Its adaptations include tiny, narrowed leaves, each one shiny and slick, modified to limit water loss. The plant has a long root that may extend several feet straight below the surface. Plants generally form low, more or less rounded mats or cushions, with a number of intertwining leafy stems. All these modifications are apparently effective in dealing with droughty conditions. In fact, the same strategies (tiny leaves, deep roots and cushiony growth) are demonstrated by a variety of completely unrelated species that occur in the same challenging, xeric sites. Plants that exhibit prominent adaptations for growing in such inhospitably dry places are frequently termed "xerophytes." It is no wonder that our little sandy gem is not a good candidate for transplanting. It's just too picky about where it grows, and its root is extremely hard to unearth without breaking part of it. As with all other native plants, it's a bad idea to dig up or transplant wildflowers out of their native habitat, unless, perhaps, if they are about to be bulldozed. On the other hand, various native plant suppliers and nurseries offer wide selections of xerophytes and other native species.

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John Nelson is the curator of the Herbarium at the University of South Carolina, in the department of biological sciences. As a public service, the herbarium offers free plant identifications. For more information, visit www.herbarium.org or call 803-777-8196.