Floerkea

Floerkea
Minute, white, three-parted flowers
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Limnanthaceae
Genus: Floerkea
Willd.
Species:
F. proserpinacoides
Binomial name
Floerkea proserpinacoides
Willd.

Floerkea is a monotypic genus of plants in the meadowfoam family containing the sole species Floerkea proserpinacoides, which is known by the common names false mermaid, false mermaidweed, and floerkea. This tiny wildflower is native to many parts of North America, where it is found in moist areas, such as shady forests. It is a fleshy, annual herb which grows short stems which may lie flat on the ground, tangle into a clump, or grow somewhat erect. The foliage is hairless and shiny. The leaves are divided into many oval-shaped, pointed leaflets up to 2 cm (0.79 in) long. The flower is a cup of pointed green sepals containing three tiny white spoon-shaped petals and a bunch of stamens with yellow anthers. Growing in the center of the flower are the two to three fruits, which are bumpy, spherical nutlets.[1][2]

In Vermont, the plant was not seen after 1916 until May 2024 when it was seen again.[3][4]

The logo for the Flora of North America is a Floerkea flower.[5] The genus was named in honor of the German botanist, Heinrich Gustav Flörke.

  • Botanical illustration
    Botanical illustration
  • Three-parted cotyledons
    Three-parted cotyledons
  • Mature plants
    Mature plants
  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference jm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference usda was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Botanists in Vermont rediscovered a plant last seen there at the start of WW1". June 20, 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  4. ^ Kuta, Sarah (June 14, 2024). "Rare 'Absolutely Tiny' Plant, Not Seen for More Than a Century, Found in Vermont". Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  5. ^ Flora of North America Editorial Committee, ed. (2010). Flora of North America. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2012-08-14. Retrieved 2012-08-14.