About Paronychia argentea Lam.
Paronychia argentea Lam. is an annual, procumbent plant that reaches up to 30 cm in height. It is similar to Paronychia capitata, but differs by having almost entirely glabrous leaves, a rigid, prominent midrib, and calyx lobules with transparent margins. Its stems can be either glabrous or pubescent, and bear opposite, elliptical, mucronate leaves. Flowers grow in lateral and terminal glomeruli; they are hermaphrodite, pentamerous, and actinomorphic, and are accompanied by scaly silver bracts that are larger than the flowers themselves. The fruit produced by this species is an achene. This plant occurs throughout the region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. It grows in dry, abandoned terrains, dunes, and ditches, and flowers from winter through summer. When stewed, it is used as a diuretic and blood purifier; it is also applied as a plaster to treat wounds.
