Lunaria annua L.

Annual honesty, money plant, silver dollars

About plant names...

Annual honesty is native to the Balkans and southwest Asia. It has spread through North America, as well as Europe and some other parts of Asia.

Identification: Plants are 24-36" (60-91 cm) in height, with hairy stems. Leaves are heart-shaped and serrated. Flowers are pink, magenta, or purple, about an inch across, with four petals each. The common name "honesty" dates back to the 16th century, and may be a reference to the translucent seed pods. It is these seed pods that are the most striking identifying feature—if you encounter them in the fall, that is. The round pods really do look silvery.

Photo by Rosenzweig, at Löwenstein, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Wikipedia

The Missouri Botanical Garden

CalPhotos

EFloras

7/12/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 13 × 12" (34 × 29 cm)

7/12/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.9 cm)

9/29/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 10 cm)

6/4/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 10 × 15" (26 × 39 cm)

Lunaria annua description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

11/29/2009 · Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 6" (20 × 16 cm)

7/12/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 11 × 9" (27 × 23 cm)

11/29/2009 · Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 12" (23 × 30 cm)

7/31/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 9" (23 × 22 cm)

6/4/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 6" (16 × 14 cm)

Range: Zones 5-9:

About this map...