Perennial of the Caryophyllaceae family, Arenaria balearica is native to the islands of the western Mediterranean: Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, and a few satellite islands. It colonizes shaded and moist rocks, old mossy walls, and crevices of walls in cool exposure, from sea level to the montane stage.
It is a plant of a completely different character from other rock garden Arenaria: it does not form a cushion but a creeping carpet, extremely fine and dense, that embraces and covers rocky surfaces like moss. The thread-like stems spread and branch indefinitely, bearing very small oval leaves, of a tender and bright green, giving the whole a velvety and delicate appearance.
The flowers are tiny, solitary, pure white, with five petals, standing on thin peduncles that barely emerge above the carpet of leaves. At the time of full bloom, they sprinkle the carpet with countless white dots. In its natural habitat, flowering extends from April to June. In cultivation, it can start as early as March-April depending on the exposure.
It requires a shaded to semi-shaded exposure, a fresh and moist substrate, and a rocky surface or an old wall to fully express itself. Sensitive to dry heat and full summer sun, it thrives in moist gardens, draped over blocks or as ground cover between slabs, where few other plants are willing to settle.