The Hairy Cushion of the Rocks

Habit: A small perennial herb, 3-6 cm tall, forming dense compact cushions and provided with short stolons. Leaves: Opposite and characteristically imbricate, with a rounded shape and a yellow-green colour. The upper surface is often villous. The apical leaves are 3-7 mm long. Flowers: White, borne on straight peduncles about as long as the calyx. Petals are divided into lobes and measure 8-10 mm; sepals are villous and 5-6 mm long. Fruits: Capsule straight or slightly curved, a little longer than the calyx, often sterile. Seeds tiny, just over 1 mm in diameter. Flowering: June-August.

Chorological type: Italian endemic. Distribution: A narrow endemic of the Central Apennines. Habitat: It grows exclusively on calcareous cliffs and screes made of unstable rocky debris.

Generic name (Cerastium): From the Greek keras, meaning “horn”, describing the elongated and slightly curved shape of the capsule at maturity. Specific name (thomasii): Dedicated to Emmanuel Thomas (1788-1859), the Swiss botanist who intensively explored the Kingdom of Naples.

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It is included in the Red List of the Italian Flora and is strictly protected. Because it is tied to ridge habitats and high-altitude screes, it is particularly vulnerable to global warming, which reduces its snow-bed habitats, and to trampling caused by unregulated hiking tourism in the protected areas of the Central Apennines.