Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains
45. Scrophulariaceae, the Figwort Family
5. Limosella L. -- Mudwort1. Limosella aquatica L.
Very small amphibious annual 3-10 cm tall, with the leaves and flowers arising from the tufted base, often extensively stoloniferous. Leaves linear, usually dilated at the tip to form an emersed or floating blade, these elliptic to obovate or oblanceolate, 8-25 mm long, 2-8 mm wide, rounded to acute at the tip, tapered to the elongate petiole, some or rarely all the leaves linear throughout, without blades. Flowers small, not showy, regular, borne singly on peduncles arising from the plant base, the peduncles shorter than the leaves; calyx campanulate, 1.5-3 mm long, the lobes about equal, triangular, mostly 1/2 to equaling the length of the calyx tube; corolla minute, inconspicuous, white or pinkish, campanulate, membranous, slightly exceeding the calyx; stamens 4. Capsule ovoid, 2-2.5 mm long. Jun--Sep. Stream banks, shores and mud flats of temporary ponds and marshes; occasional in the n part, rare s; (Interruptedly circumboreal, throughout most of N.Amer. except the se U.S.).
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