Gratiola virginiana
Gratiola brevifolia
round-fruit hedge-hyssop, Virginia hedge-hyssop
short-leaf hedge-hyssop, sticky hedge-hyssop
ascending to erect, simple or few-branched, 4–50 cm, glabrous or glabrate proximally, glabrous or glandular-puberulent distally.
decumbent to ascending, simple or few- to much-branched, 20–60 cm, sparsely to moderately glandular-puberulent.
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.
blade lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate or oblong, 8–25 × (1–)3–8(–13) mm, margins with (1 or)2–4 pairs of sharp teeth distally, apex acute, surfaces sparsely to densely glandular-puberulent.
stout, 1–12 mm, length 0.1–0.3 times bract, glabrous or sparsely glandular-puberulent;
bracteoles 2, 2–6 mm.
slender, (5–)10–25(–30) mm, length 0.8–1.8 times bract, densely glandular-puberulent to glandular-pubescent;
bracteoles (1 or)2, 4–4.5 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.
sepals distinct, linear-lanceolate, 5–7 mm;
corolla 10–13 mm, tube yellowish brown, veins yellow or brownish yellow, limb white;
style 3–5 mm.
subglobular, (3–)4–9 × 4–8 mm.
subglobular to ovoid, 1.5–2.5 × 1–1.3 mm.
0.7–0.8 mm.
0.3–0.4 mm.
= 16.
= 28.
Gratiola virginiana
Gratiola brevifolia
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.)
Gratiola brevifolia is morphologically variable. In parts of its range, narrow-leaved plants approach G. ramosa and some broad-leaved plants approach G. viscidula. A population of G. brevifolia in Delaware is disjunct from the nearest conspecific population by more than 800 km (W. M. Knapp and D. Estes 2006).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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