Plant That I've Never Seen
Before
Lanceleaf
Fogfruit
(
Phyla lanceolata )
Yesterday when I was at Whites Ferry on the
Potomac River I photographed a large aggregate
of lanceleaf fogfruit. From a distance I
thought that it might have been a clover or
plantain, but it was growing on the shoreline,
both in and out of the water and had pink
flowers.
The
plant is an obligate (OBL) wetland
species, found exclusively in
persistent, saturated soil.
It is classified as endangered in New
Jersey and rare in Pennsylvania.
It is
mapped as occurring in all of the United States,
except for the Northwest, in moist,
open areas and has a unique relationship
with
Syrphidea flies that pollinate
the flowers and feed on the nectar.
Only the
first of the three photos is in good
focus,
but the other photos help show the
overall plant, leaves and stems.
Submitted by Mark Burchick