Question: Tiny plant growing on wet gravel/dirt path near old beaver pond, Jonesboro, Maine. There is Houstonia caerula nearby. I can't …
-
Question
Tiny plant growing on wet gravel/dirt path near old beaver pond, Jonesboro, Maine. There is Houstonia caerula nearby. I can't tell what is sepal and what is petal, or leaf. The plant photo might be upside down. Leaves/sepals/petals seem pubescent. seems pubescent. Stem is yellow-green as are the flowers (if those are flowers). Could it be Linum radiola (I've never seen that).
Answer
Dear Carol, good morning to you. You likely have photographed Chrysosplenium americanum (golden-saxifrage), a small, native herb of wetlands, seeps, and shorelines. It is like other saxifrages but has four sepals and petals (rather than five) and has opposite leaves (most other members of the family in the northeast have alternate or all basal leaves). Best wishes.
