Mecardonia acuminata (Walter)Small subsp. peninsularis (Pennell)Rossow
Axilflower
Florida native
Endemic to Florida
The peninsularis subspecies on Mecardonia acuminata is only found in the Florida peninsula.
This axilflower is a low growing perennial with square stems branching near the base. Flowers are white with fine pink lines, tubular shaped with five lobes that are united on the lower 2/3 of the tube. The small toothed leaves are oblanceolate (wider near the tip) and less than 2.5cm (~1 in.) long.
Mecardonia acuminata peninsularis is a Florida endemic subspecies of the Axilflower that is found throughout the southeastern United States and into north and central Florida. The wider ranging axilflower, sometimes considered subspecies acuminata, has leaves longer than 2.5cm (1 in.) and does not branch near the base. Another subspecies - microphylla - ranges from Louisiana to Georgia plus two Florida panhandle counties: Washington and Calhoun. The microphylla subspecies has a peduncle (flower stalk) less than 10mm (~3/8 in.) long and sepals 2mm (~1/16 in.) or wider, while the other subspecies have peduncles longer than 10mm (~3/8 in.) long and sepals narrower than 2mm (~1/16 in.).
Mecardonia acuminata is a member of the Plantaginaceae - Plantain family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Jan 23, 2024