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Northeast Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Round-fruit Hedgehyssop
Gratiola virginiana L.

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Figwort (Scrophulariaceae)
Flowering: March-October
Field Marks: This species is distinguished by its 2 bractlets at the base of the sepals, its flowers on stalks up to 3/4 inch long, and its spherical capsules up to 1/3 inch in diameter.
Habitat: Wet woods, wet ditches, along streams.
Habit: Annual or biennial herb with fibrous roots.
Stems: Spreading to ascending, branched or unbranched, usually smooth, up to 1 1/2 feet long.
Leaves: Opposite, simple, lanceolate to elliptic to oblong, pointed or rounded at the tip, tapering to the sessile base, toothed, up to 3 1/2 inches long.
Flowers: Solitary in the axils of the leaves, subtended by a pair of bractlets, on rather stout stalks up to 3/4 inch long.
Sepals: 5, green, united into a short tube, 1/6-1/3 inch long.
Petals: 5, united to form 2 lips, white to pink-tinged and with purple striations, hairy on the inside, up to 3/4 inch long.
Stamens: 4.
Pistils: Ovary superior.
Fruits: Capsules spherical, up to 1/3 inch in diameter, containing numerous slender seeds.

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URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/florane/species/7/gratvirg.htm
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Page Last Modified: Thursday, 03-Aug-2006 11:39:25 EDT
Menlo Park, CA [caww54]