Paronychia (plant)
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Paronychia is a genus of plants in the pink family with over 110 species worldwide, mostly from warm-temperate North America, Eurasia, South America and Africa. They are herbs that are annual or biennial or perennial in life span. Some species have a woody base. For the most part they have small, white to yellow-white colored flowers that are often hidden with in the paired bracts.
The genus Siphonychia has been incorporated into Paronychia by botanists.
The common names for some of the species include chickweed, nailwort, and Whitlow-wort. The genus gets its name from the disease of the fingernails which it was once thought to cure.
Selected species:
- Paronychia canadensis - smooth-forked nailwort
- Paronychia fastigiata - hairy-forked nailwort
- Paronychia jamesii - James' nailwort
- Paronychia sessiliflora - creeping nailwort