Frog fruit

The strangely named frog fruit, Phyla nodiflora, is a low-growing plant that can form “mats” or “tangles.” Its flower heads are tiny, no more than half an inch in diameter, and as you can verify in this picture, the individual flowers form a ring around a purplish core.

To see the many places in the United States where this species grows, you can check out the state-clickable map at the USDA.  According to the Germplasm Resources Information Network, frog fruit is perhaps native only in the Americas, but it now grows in most parts of the world.

© 2012 Steven Schwartzman

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The daily posts that you’ve become accustomed to will continue while I’m away from Austin. Feel free to comment if you’d like, but please be aware that it may be a while before I can respond.