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Family: Limnanthaceae (Meadow-foam family)
Mid-Atlantic bloom time: April - May
At first glance, False Mermaid plants look like a diminuitive bedstraw, but closer examination reveals distinctive white flowers that differ from Galium species. It has three-parted cotlyledons (not the usual two for Angiosperms) and has three-parted flowers. It grows on moist, rich floodplain forests and adjacent lower slopes.
False Mermaid gets its common name from its passing resemblance to plants in the Mermaid-weed genus (Proserpinaca). The genus was named in honor of the German botanist, Heinrich Gustav Flörke.
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12 April 2025
Riverbend Park, Great Falls, VA (overall appearance) 
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12 April 2025
Riverbend Park, Great Falls, VA 
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12 April 2025
Riverbend Park, Great Falls, VA 
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12 April 2025
Riverbend Park, Great Falls, VA (opening flowers) 
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12 April 2025
Riverbend Park, Great Falls, VA 
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19 April 2025
Merrimac Farm WMA, Aden, VA 
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19 April 2025
Merrimac Farm WMA, Aden, VA (ripening fruit, with stamen and anthers still present) 
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19 April 2025
Merrimac Farm WMA, Aden, VA (ripening fruit, with stamen and anthers still present) 
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19 April 2025
Merrimac Farm WMA, Aden, VA (ripening fruit) 
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