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| Mecardonia acuminata | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Mecardonia |
| Species: | M. acuminata
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| Binomial name | |
| Mecardonia acuminata (Walter) Small
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Mecardonia acuminata, commonly known as the common axil-flower, pond axil-flower, or Florida axil-flower, is a perennial wildflower found in North America.[1]
Description
[edit]Mecardonia acuminata stands erect at a height between 10 and 50 cm (4 and 20 in). The leaves are oppositely arranged and range from oblanceolate to elliptic in shape. They reach a length between 1 and 4.5 cm (0.4 and 1.8 in) and a width between 5 and 12 mm (0.20 and 0.47 in).[2]
When in bloom, the flowers of M. acuminata are white or lavender-tinged in color. The corolla in its entirety may reach between 7 and 11 mm (0.28 and 0.43 in) in length.[2][1] M. acuminata flowers from July to September. It bears fruit from August to October.[1]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The range of M. acuminata extends from Delaware to peninsular Florida and westward to eastern Texas.[3]
It is considered to be a facultative wetland species by the United States Department of Agriculture, meaning that it most commonly occurs in wetland environments, but may occur in non-wetland habitats as well.[3] As such, M. acuminata has been observed in habitat types such as marshes, wet pine savannas, and bottomland forests.[1] Within some regions of its native range M. acuminata occurs in soils with low fertility and little slope.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Weakley, Alan S. (October 20, 2020). Flora of the Southeastern United States. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^ a b Radford, Albert E.; Ahles, Harry E.; Bell, C. Ritchie (1964). Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0807810873.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ^ a b "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- ^ Thrill, R.E. (September 1983). Deer and cattle forage selection on Louisiana pine-hardwood sites. New Orleans, Louisiana: U.S. Department of Agriculture.