Obolaria virginica (Virginia pennywort)

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Obolaria virginica L.

Virginia pennywort

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Gentianales	Gentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others
Family	Gentianaceae	About 1600 species of flowering plants from the genus Gentiana, named after the Illyrian king Gentius
Genus	Obolaria	From Greek obolos, Latin obolus, a small Greek coin, referring to thick rounded leaves
Species	virginica	From or referring to Virginia

About plant names...

Virginia pennywort is a North American native. This diminutive plant prefers rich, moist woods.

Identification: Plants are 4-10" (10-25 cm) high, often less than 6" (15 cm), nestled amongst the leaf litter on moist forest floors, where they are easily overlooked. Stems are pale green to purplish. Plants have opposite green or purplish green leaves that are roundish or spatula-shaped. Flowers are white or purplish, appearing in March to June.

Online References:

Jeffpippen.com

Discover Life

Southeastern Flora, the Southeastern U.S. Plant Identification Resource (many photos)

Www.mbc.edu

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Missouriplants.com

The Vanderbilt University Bioimages web site

Obolaria virginica description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

5/15/1979 · Virginia · By Tim Chandler

Range:

About this map...