Limosella aquatica (Mudwort)
Also known as: | Awl-leaf Mudwort, Water-mudwort |
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Genus: | Limosella |
Family: | Scrophulariaceae (Figwort) |
Life cycle: | annual |
Origin: | native |
Status: |
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Habitat: | sun; mudflats, vernal pools, rock outcrops, lowland prairies |
Bloom season: | June - August |
Plant height: | 1 to 4 inches |
Wetland Indicator Status: | GP: OBL MW: OBL NCNE: OBL |
MN county distribution (click map to enlarge): | |
National distribution (click map to enlarge): |
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Detailed Information
Flower:
Flowers are single at the tips of slender stalks that arise from s basal clump. Flowers are tiny, less than 1/8 inch across, somewhat bell-shaped with 5 spreading, white to lavender lobes. In the center are 4 white stamens and a white style that barely extends out of the short tube. Flower stalks are hairless and up to ½ inch long.
Leaves and stems:
Leaves are in a basal rosette, the blades 3/8 to 1 inch long and up to 1/3 inch wide, hairless, toothless, lance-elliptic, mostly rounded at the tip and tapering towards the base, on slender stalks up to 4 inches long.
Plants produce horizontal stems (stolons) that root at the nodes and form new basal clumps, creating loose colonies, and may be submersed or land-locked.
Fruit:
Fruit is a 2-celled, round to oval capsule about 1/8 inch long, containing many tiny seeds.
Notes:
Mudwort is a rare species of rock outcrops and low prairies, living in the mud and shallow waters of vernal pools. According to the DNR, its preferred habitat is rare itself, and home to many at-risk species. Threats include destruction from cattle grazing and gravel mining. Mudwort was listed as a Special Concern species in 1984.
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More photos
Photos courtesy Peter M. Dziuk taken at Blue Mounds State Park, Rock County.
Comments
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