Gratiola torreyi
Gratiola virginiana
yellow hedge-hyssop
round-fruit hedge-hyssop, Virginia hedge-hyssop
ascending to erect, usually much-branched from base, 5–10 cm, glabrous.
ascending to erect, simple or few-branched, 4–50 cm, glabrous or glabrate proximally, glabrous or glandular-puberulent distally.
blade linear-lanceolate, 5–15 × 1–5 mm, margins entire or with 1 or 2 pairs of teeth distally, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous.
blade lanceolate to elliptic or oblong-obovate, 15–70 × 5–25 mm, margins entire or with 1–4 pairs of blunt or sharp teeth distally, apex obtuse to acute, surfaces glabrous.
slender, 4–10 mm, length 1–2.3 times bract, glabrous;
bracteoles 1, 1.5–4 mm.
stout, 1–12 mm, length 0.1–0.3 times bract, glabrous or sparsely glandular-puberulent;
bracteoles 2, 2–6 mm.
sepals distinct, linear to linear-lanceolate, 3–6 mm;
corolla 9–12 mm, tube yellow to orangish yellow, veins yellow to greenish yellow or brownish yellow, limb yellow;
style 3–5 mm.
sepals distinct, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate or oblong, 4–7 mm;
corolla 8–15 mm, tube greenish white to greenish yellow or yellow, veins purple or brownish purple, limb white, sometimes tinged lavender;
style 2–4 mm.
ovoid, 2–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm.
subglobular, (3–)4–9 × 4–8 mm.
0.3–0.4 mm.
0.7–0.8 mm.
= 16.
Gratiola torreyi
Gratiola virginiana
The name Gratiola flava has been widely used for G. torreyi. F. W. Pennell (1935) synonymized G. torreyi with G. neglecta, stating that the type of G. torreyi (Wright s.n., NY) has white corolla lobes and yellow corolla tubes instead of entirely golden yellow corollas as reported by Small in the protologue of G. torreyi. The statement by Pennell appears to be in error.
M. H. MacRoberts et al. (2007) discussed historic and recent collections of Gratiola torreyi (as G. flava) from Louisiana. The provenance of collections attributed to Arkansas is equivocal (MacRoberts et al.).
Gratiola pusilla Torrey ex Bentham 1846 (not Willdenow 1797) is an illegitimate name and pertains here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Some plants from tidal wetlands in Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia are purportedly relatively shorter in stature and bear shorter pedicels and smaller capsules than most plants of Gratiola virginiana. They have been treated as var. aestuariorum; the distinctness of var. aestuariorum has not been assessed in the context of morphological variation across the range of G. virginiana.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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