Distribution: Occurring in scattered locations across Washington; widely distributed throughout most of North America.
Habitat: Roadsides, railways and old fields.
Flowers: May-August
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Glabrous, glaucous annual from a taproot, the stem usually simple, up to 8 dm. tall.
Leaves mostly cauline, opposite, entire, lanceolate or oblanceolate, sessile and auriculate, 4-9 cm. long and 0.5-3 cm. broad.
Flowers numerous in a flat-topped inflorescence; calyx tubular, 5-lobed, 10-14 mm. long, glabrous and purplish, much inflated and strongly 5-winged in fruit; petals 5, pink to red, the claw exceeding the calyx, the blade 5-8 mm. long, obovate with a wedge-shaped base and a slight notch.
Capsule 1-celled.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Vaccaria hispanica in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.
WA Flora Checklist: Vaccaria hispanica checklist entry.
E-Flora BC: Vaccaria hispanica atlas page.
CalPhotos: Vaccaria hispanica photos.
USDA Plants: Vaccaria hispanica information.