Minuartia is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as sandworts in the family Caryophyllaceae. Minuartias are small annual or perennial plants which grow in otherwise inhospitable conditions such as on rocky ledges and in stony soil. The genus is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, mainly distributed in Europe, in the Mediterranean region, and north Africa, southwest Asia, and the Caucasus Mountains. Many Minuartia species were formerly classed in the genus Arenaria, and the obsolete genus Alsine. In 2014, the polyphyletic Minuartia sensu lato was recircumscribed, with many of the species transferred to other genera, including Cherleria, Eremogone, Facchinia, Mcneillia, Minuartiella, Mononeuria, Pseudocherleria, Rhodalsine, Sabulina, and Triplateia. Minuartia sensu stricto is characterized by the following features: leaves linear-setaceous; 5 acute sepals with 3, 5, or 9-veins; 5 white petals; 3 styles, forming 3-parted capsules. The genus was named for Juan Minuart (1693–1768), a Spanish botanist and pharmacist. Selected species Minuartia arctica – Arctic sandwort Minuartia austromontana – Columbian sandwort Minuartia biflora – mountain sandwort Minuartia bosniaca – Bosnian sandwort Minuartia californica – California sandwort Minuartia caroliniana – pinebarren sandwort Minuartia cherlerioides Minuartia cismontana Minuartia cumberlandensis – Cumberland sandwort Minuartia dawsonensis – rock sandwort Minuartia decumbens – Lassicus sandwort Minuartia dirphya Minuartia douglasii – Douglas' sandwort Minuartia drummondii – Drummond's sandwort Minuartia elegans Minuartia filiorum – threadbranch sandwort Minuartia gerardii Minuartia glabra – Appalachian sandwort Minuartia godfreyi – Godfrey's sandwort Minuartia graminifolia (syn. Alsine rosani) Minuartia groenlandica – Greenland stitchwort, mountain sandwort Minuartia howellii – Howell's sandwort Minuartia juniperina Minuartia krascheninnikovii Minuartia laricifolia Minuartia macrantha – House's sandwort Minuartia macrocarpa – longpod sandwort Minuartia marcescens – serpentine sandwort Minuartia michauxii – rock sandwort Minuartia muscorum – Dixie sandwort Minuartia nuttallii – Nuttall's sandwort Minuartia obtusiloba – twinflower sandwort Minuartia patula – pitcher's sandwort Minuartia pusilla – annual sandwort Minuartia recurva – recurved sandwort, sickle-leaved sandwort Minuartia rosei – peanut sandwort Minuartia rossii – Ross' sandwort Minuartia rubella Minuartia sedoides – mossy cyphel; dwarf cherleria. Confined to high mountains in Europe. Minuartia sintenisii – Troodos sandwort Minuartia smejkalii – endemic species to the central Bohemia / Czech Republic Minuartia stolonifera Minuartia stricta – bog sandwort Minuartia tenella – slender sandwort Minuartia uniflora Minuartia verna – spring sandwort Minuartia viscosa Minuartia yukonensis – Yukon sandwort References Caryophyllaceae genera