Polygala nana – Dwarf Bachelor's Button

Polygala nana growing in an area of moist sugar sand at the Juno Dunes Natural Area in Palm Beach County, Florida.

I always think that extremely tiny plants like this one with nearly stalkless flowerheads are the endangered Polygala smallii. However, every time I measure the seeds, the plants turn out to be Polygala nana. In Polygala smallii, the seeds are 1.9–2.3 mm long, whereas in Polygala nana, they are up to 1.6 mm long.

Image and text © 2012 Rufino Osorio