SpikenardFlowers - Petals 5, triangular, whitish, glabrous, 1.1mm long, spreading to recurved, to 1.5mm long. Stamens 5, alternating with the petals, erect. Filaments white, glabrous, 1.1mm long. Anthers whitish, .5mm long. Ovary 5-locular, inferior, ovule per locule. Styles very short, .5mm long, 5, joined at the base. Receptacle closed by an enlarged nectary. Hypanthium pubescent at the base but mostly glabrous, -1.3mm long, greenish-white. Sepals .1mm long, triangular. Drupes globose, glabrous, blackish, to 6mm in diameter.
Flowering - June - August.
Habitat - Rich wooded slopes, ravines, moist ledges and bluffs.
Origin - Native to U.S.
Other info. - This interesting species can be found in many parts of Missouri but seems to be absent from the Great Plains region. The plant grows wider than tall and is easily recognized while in flower.
