A species of European shores and inland saline areas, now well established as a roadside halophyte, and also along sidewalks and by parking lots. First collected in 1910 in St. Clair Co. Doubtless more widespread now than the few collections suggest.

The nomenclature of Spergularia species has been a long-standing headache. The name S. media was proposed for rejection as a persistent source of confusion, and if that proposal were to have been accepted, S. maritima (All.) Chiov. would apparently be the correct name. But the proposal was not recommended by the Committee for Spermatophyta (Brummitt, 1986), obligating us to use S. media. Nevertheless, use of the name S. maritima for this species persists.