Gratiola virginiana L.

Round Fruit Hedge Hyssop; Virginia Hedge Hyssop

Herb

Annual

Vascular

Round Fruit Hedge Hyssop is a native annual or weak perennial in the Plantain family (Plantaginaceae). It occurs throughout Alabama. Round Fruit Hedge Hyssop grows in shallow water or mud of springs and seeps, along small streams, and in wet roadside ditches. The lower branches of the stems are reclining and root at the nodes, forming mats. Stems grow to a height of 3-10 inches. Stems are thick, succulent, green or purple in color, and glabrous. The leaves are opposite, sessile, entire or toothed, and elliptic to linear-oblong in outline. Flowers are produced from the axils of the leaves on stout, erect, glabrous pedicels that are less than 10 mm long. Flowers are tubular, white in color and lined with purple stripes. The fruit is a round capsule. Clammy Hedge Hyssop (Gratiola neglecta Torrey) is a similar species that occurs in the same type of habitats. It differs from Round Fruit Hedge Hyssop by having pedicels that are filiform, divergent, glandular pubescent, and 10 mm or more in length.--A. Diamond

**

Native OBL (NWPL)

**