Everglades Key false buttonweed facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Everglades Key false buttonweed |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
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Rubioideae
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| Tribe: |
Spermacoceae
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| Genus: | |
| Species: |
S. neoterminalis
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| Binomial name | |
| Spermacoce neoterminalis Govaerts
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The Everglades Key false buttonweed (scientific name: Spermacoce neoterminalis) is a special type of plant. It belongs to the Rubiaceae family, which also includes coffee plants! This plant is unique because it only grows in one specific part of the world.
About the Everglades Key False Buttonweed
This plant is found only in southern Florida, USA. When we say it's "endemic" to Florida, it means it naturally lives there and nowhere else on Earth. You can find it in places like the famous Everglades wetlands, stretching north all the way to Lake Okeechobee. It loves the warm, wet climate of this region.
What It Looks Like
The Everglades Key false buttonweed is a perennial herb. This means it's a plant that lives for more than two years, and its stem is not woody like a tree trunk. It has a strong, woody root that helps it stay in place.
Its stems can grow up to 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) tall. Usually, these stems don't branch out much above the ground. The leaves of this plant are shaped like an oval, which is called "elliptical."
Its Flowers
The flowers of the Everglades Key false buttonweed are quite small. They are white and grow in clusters. You can find these flower clusters at the very top of the stems (called "terminal") and also where the leaves meet the stem (called "axillary"). These clusters are known as glomerules.
