''Gratiola brevifolia'', commonly called sticky hedgehyssop, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the plantain family (

Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae, the plantain family, is a large, diverse family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as snapdragon and foxglove. It is unrelated to the banana-like fruit also called "plantain." In older cl ...

). It is found in the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

, where it has a scattered distribution. Its natural habitat is in wet acidic areas. ''Gratiola brevifolia'' is a rhizomatous perennial. Its leaves are linear-lanceolate with a few coarse teeth distally. Its flowers have white lobes and a yellow tube with brown lines. It blooms from April to September. ''Gratiola brevifolia'' is similar to '' Gratiola vicidula'', which has a range centered farther to the east. ''G. brevifolia'' can be distinguished by its narrower leaves and sepals. It is also similar to ''

Gratiola ramosa ''Gratiola'' is a genus of plants in the family Plantaginaceae. Most species are known generally as hedgehyssops. The genus was previously included in the family Scrophulariaceae. Species include: *'' Gratiola amphiantha'' - pool sprite, snorkel ...

'', a species that it co-occurs with on the Southeastern Coastal Plain, from which ''G. brevifolia'' can be distinguished by the regular presence of 1-2 bracts subtending the sepals.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15326235 brevifolia Flora of Northern America Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque