# Annual Honesty (*Lunaria annua*) Annual Honesty is a beautiful flower with shiny, silver seed pods. It blooms in spring and adds lovely color to gardens. Kids love to explore its unique flat pods that look like coins! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 13 - **Habitat:** Gardens - **Also known as:** Money Plant, Silver Dollar Plant ![Annual Honesty](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Lunaria_annua_flowers.jpg&width=800) Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lunaria_annua_flowers.jpg) ## Appearance The Annual Honesty has vibrant purple or white flowers in spring, but its most distinct feature is the flat, silvery, translucent seed pods that resemble shiny coins, appearing after the blooms fade. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Brassicales - **Family:** Brassicaceae - **Genus:** Lunaria ## Interesting facts - It's an early bloomer, providing a splash of purple or white color in spring. - Its beautiful translucent pods are often dried and used in flower arrangements. - The name 'Lunaria' comes from 'lunar', referring to its moon-like, round seed pods! - You can easily see the tiny seeds rattling inside its papery pods! ## Special abilities - **Seed Slinger:** Annual Honesty can easily drop its many flat, round seeds, ensuring new plants grow and spread widely each year. - **Window Pods:** Annual Honesty has unique translucent seed pods that let light through, helping seeds ripen and catch the wind for dispersal. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 60-90 cm - **Spread:** 30-45 cm - **Flower Size:** 2-3 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring_summer - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects nectar and pollen from flowers. - **Pollinates:** Small White butterfly (*Pieris rapae*) — Sips nectar from purple blooms. - **Eaten by:** Spanish Slug (*Arion vulgaris*) — Feeds on young leaves and stems. ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always check with an adult before picking flowers. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Annual Honesty? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Annual Honesty? 60-90 cm ### How wide does Annual Honesty spread? 30-45 cm ### How big are the flowers on Annual Honesty? 2-3 cm ### When does Annual Honesty bloom? Spring_summer ### Is Annual Honesty edible? Yes ### Is Annual Honesty toxic? None ### What is Annual Honesty's lifecycle? Annual ## Where to spot - [Historic Moravian Bethlehem Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/historic-moravian-bethlehem-historic-district) — Pennsylvania, US · Historic District - [Irvington Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/irvington-historic-district) — Indiana, US · Historic District - [McDade Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mcdade-park) — Pennsylvania, US · Botanical Garden - [Six Flags Wild Safari Adventure](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/six-flags-wild-safari-adventure) — New Jersey, US · Zoo - [Garvan Woodland Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/garvan-woodland-gardens) — Arkansas, US · Botanical Garden - [Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/gloria-dei-old-swedes-church) — Pennsylvania, US · Park [View all places to see Annual Honesty](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/annual-honesty) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Annual Honesty: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annual-honesty)