Helanthium tenellum (Mart. ex Schult. & Schult. f.) Britton

Mud Babies; Dwarf Burhead

Herb

Annual

Vascular

Mud Babies is an herbaceous annual in the Water-Plantain family (Alismataceae). It can be found in the southern third of Alabama. Mud Babies grow both submerged and emerged along the margins of sinkhole ponds and depression ponds. It is an annual growing 2-4 inches in height with a fibrous root system. Leaves form a basal rosette. The leaves are petiolate, linear to lanceolate or ovate in outline, glabrous, with entire margins. The leaves of submerged plants may lack an expanded blade portion. Flowers are produced in umbels. The peduncles are round. Each umbel has 4-6 flowers. Each flower has 3 white petals, 9 stamens, and 15-20 pistils. The fruit is a flattened beaked achene. Mud Babies is listed as a S1 species in Alabama (typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state), and globally as a G3 species (imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors).—A. Diamond

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Native S1 (State Rank) G3 (Global Rank)

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