Mecardonia acuminata (Walt.) Small - Water Hyssop, Axilflower
Family - Scrophulariaceae
Stems:
Leaves:
Inflorescence:
N/A
Flowers:
Flowering - July - October.
Habitat - Flatwoods, bogs, swamps, marshes, floodplains, savannahs, alluvial woods, low roadsides.
Origin - Native to North America.
Other information - This little species can be found scattered throughout Alabama. The plant is easy to identify becasue of its squarish stems, opposite leaves (which are toothed in the apical 1/2), long pedicels (which are subtended by a pair of bracts), and white flowers. The moist to wet habitat of the plant is another good character for identification.
The genus Mecardonia is named for Anton Meca y Cardona, one of the founders of the botanical garden in Barcelona, Spain.
The species epithet acuminata derives from the Latin "acumin" meaning "pointed (at the ends)" referring to the tapering leaf bases, or perhaps the sepals of the calyx.
Alabama Distribution:
Photographs taken off Lee Rd 54, Auburn, AL., 10-7-04.