Obolaria

Obolaria is a genus of flowering plant in the gentian family Gentianaceae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Obolaria virginica, commonly known as Virginia pennywort.[1]

Obolaria
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Gentianaceae
Tribe: Gentianeae
Subtribe: Swertiinae
Genus: Obolaria
L.
Species:
O. virginica
Binomial name
Obolaria virginica
L.

It is native to the eastern United States,[2] where it is found in nutrient-rich forests. It is believed to be mycoheterotrophic, getting much of its nutrients though a symbiotic relationship with fungi, instead of through its small purplish-green leaves.[3][4]

It is a perennial that produces white flowers in the spring. It is often difficult to locate due to its small stature, and tendency to be buried under leaf litter.[3][5]

References
  1. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Obolaria virginica". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  2. "Obolaria virginica". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  3. "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States".
  4. Cameron, Duncan; Bolin, Jay (2010). "Isotopic evidence of partial mycoheterotrophy in the Gentianaceae: Bartonia virginica and Obolaria virginica as case studies". American Journal of Botany. 97 (8): 1272–1277. doi:10.3732/ajb.0900292. PMID 21616879.
  5. Missouri Plants
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