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Pycnanthemum tenuifolium - (image 1 of 6)

Taxonomy

Family: Lamiaceae

Habitat

Prairies, sandy ground, loamy soils.

Associates

In prairies with Andropogon gerardii, Baptisia leucantha, Baptisa leucophea, Cassia fasciculata, Comandra umbellata, Coreopsis tripteris, Eryngium yuccifolium, Euphorbia corollata, Helianthus mollis, Heuchera richardsonii, Krigia biflora, Lespedeza capitata, Lilium philadelphicum andinum, Panicum virgatum, Phlox pilosa fulgida, Ratibida pinnata, Sorghastrum nutans, Stipa spartea, Veronicastrum virginicum.

Distribution

ME south to FL, west to MN, KS, OK, and TX.

Morphology

Erect herbaceous perennial. Leaves opposite, simple, entire, linear-lanceolate, acute, more than 3 times longer than wide, usually less than 3 mm wide. Stems glabrous or glabrate, 4-sided. Flowers white to purple (spotted?), 4 or more in cymes terminating the stems and branches; calyx  tubular, the lobes shorter than the tube and more 1 mm long.

Notes

Flowers mid June to late August

Wetland indicator: Facultative

This species is less robust than P. virginianum and does not stand up well on it's own in my experience. Performs best under cultivation in full sun, surrounded by supportive vegetation.

References

Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.

The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY.

Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.

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