Other common names:
False Mermaidweed, Proserpinca-like Mermaid Family: False Mermaid Family (Limnanthaceae) Distinctive features:
Small plant, weak-stemmed, tiny flowers. Flowers: Spring; White; 3 parts (petals); Very tiny, white. 3 petals. Leaves:
3-5 leaflets. Height:
10-30 cm (4-12 in) Stem:
Weak, lying along ground. Habitat: Forests; Wet woods and stream valleys. Uses:
Stems are edible and may be added to salads.
Books: Newcomb's Wildflower Guide: 122 Native/Non-native:
Native Notes:
Tiny plant, hard to find and hard to ID. Thanks to Dean Gugler for this ID.
Photographs:
99 photographs available, of which 6 are featured on this page. SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOGRAPHS.
Range Map is at the bottom of the page
False Mermaid flowers are very small!
A leaf. All of the photos are highly magnified. This is indeed a tiny plant!
The plants in these photos were found in the Dundas Valley, Ontario. All were taken with flash.
A flower, just peeking out from its sepals. This is in mid-May.
Another flower. Very hard to photograph!
A group of the plants, lying across fallen leaves from last fall.
PLEASE NOTE: A coloured Province or State means this species occurs somewhere in that Province/State.
The entire Province/State is coloured, regardless of where in that Province/State it occurs.
(Range map provided courtesy of the USDA website
and is displayed here in accordance with their
Policies)