Large Buttonweed

(Diodia virginiana)

Large Buttonweed (Diodia virginiana L.)

Identification: Flower white, with a long, thin, tubular corolla and 4 petal lobes. Petal lobes hairy. Stamens 4. Flowers arising from the leaf axils and sessile to the axil. Stems smooth, tinged with red, heavily branched, either lying flat on the ground or slightly upright. Leaves in opposite paris, oblong-elongate with smooth outer margins. Plant 1 to 2 feet in height or length.

Distribution: Kansas and New Jersey in the north, southward to Florida and Texas.

Habitat: Large Buttonweed is found in wet soils, particularly along beaches and the shores of lakes and rivers.

Flowering period: June to August.

Similar Species: The long, thin, tubular white corolla and the 4 hairy petals lobes are distinctive features of this species.