Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Galax urceolata
FAMILY
Diapensiaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Galax at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Galax urceolata
FAMILY
Diapensiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Galax urceolata
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED) VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 146-03-001:
Galax aphylla FAMILY Diapensiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Galax aphylla
COMMON NAME:
Galax, Beetleweed
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Steve Marlow snm079701_10a
January Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
Leaves sharp-toothed, glossy, and often aging to wine-red or bronze, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm0404l_04
April Rutherford County NC
Chimney Rock Park
Galax is often called Coltsfoot because of the shape of its leaves, per Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962).
COMPARE
leaves of Galax and Oconee Bells
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JK Marlow jkm210423_9673
April Jackson County NC
"Galax-pulling" (gathering leaves for the florist trade) is an important folk industry, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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JK Marlow jkm210423_9674b
April Jackson County NC
Concern for its sustainability has prompted the USDA Forest Service to restrict the harvest season.
)
Harry Davis hld584_crw_6999
May Buncombe County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
A dense, narrow, spikelike raceme of 0.25" flowers, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm0305d_07a
May Greenville County SC
Jones Gap State Park
Leaves nearly circular with palmate veins [vs. the pinnate veins of Shortia], per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm0305x_36
May Rutherford County NC
Chimney Rock Park
)
Alan S. Weakley asw_10231836649395227
June
)
Keith Bradley kab_galax_urceolata_2685
June NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmgurceolata_cg1
June
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmgurceolata_flwrtrsp
June Pickens County SC
Table Rock State Park
)
Ron Lance rwl584_a
June
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Galax urceolata
FAMILY
Diapensiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Galax urceolata
FAMILY
Diapensiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Galax urceolata
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED)
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 146-03-001:
Galax aphylla
FAMILY
Diapensiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Galax aphylla
584
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Mountain forests, rock outcrops, nearly ubiquitous in the Mountains, more restricted in habitat elsewhere, moist to dry slopes in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, often associated with Kalmia latifolia or Rhododendron maximum, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in Carolina Coastal Plain) (rare in GA Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Evergreen
Simple
Basal
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White
Radially symmetrical
5 sepals united at base
5 petals
5 united stamens & 5 staminodia
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p082
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p109
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p130
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p066
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p143
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p170
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p178
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p355
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p140
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p191
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p164
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p103
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p374
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p120
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
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Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".