# pennywort (*Obolaria virginica*) Pennywort is a small, pretty plant that grows close to the ground. It has round leaves and can often be found in shady places like forests and along streams. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 4 - **Habitat:** Forests ![pennywort](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Obolaria_virginica_-_Pennywort_2.jpg&width=800) Photo: Fritzflohrreynolds, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Obolaria_virginica_-_Pennywort_2.jpg) ## Appearance The pennywort is a petite plant with purplish-green to brownish-green scale-like leaves, quite unlike common pennyworts. Its tiny, bell-shaped flowers are white or pale purple, growing in a short cluster on a delicate stem. It blends well into the woodland floor. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Gentianales - **Family:** Gentianaceae - **Genus:** Obolaria ## Interesting facts - It's sometimes called "false-pennywort" because its leaves are tiny scales, not round coins! - Its delicate, bell-shaped flowers are among the first to bloom in the forest each spring! - Pennywort spends much of its life hidden as a tiny underground rhizome before popping up! - This plant gets most of its food by quietly borrowing from nearby tree roots. ## Special abilities - **Nutrient Thief:** Pennywort can 'steal' nutrients from tree roots using special underground connections, helping it grow in shady forests. - **Early Riser:** Pennywort has the ability to bloom very early in spring, often before the forest canopy leafs out, catching sunlight when it's available. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 5-15 cm - **Spread:** 5-15 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm - **Bloom Season:** Early spring - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Depends on:** [White Oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-oak) (*Quercus alba*) — for nutrients through its roots - **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — its small, bell-shaped flowers - **Eaten by:** [White-tailed Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — occasionally browses its delicate foliage ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [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. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always ask an adult before touching or eating any plants. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify pennywort? 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 pennywort? 5-15 cm ### How wide does pennywort spread? 5-15 cm ### How big are the flowers on pennywort? 0.5-1 cm ### When does pennywort bloom? Early spring ### Is pennywort edible? No ### Is pennywort toxic? None ### What is pennywort's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Delaware and Raritan Canal](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/delaware-and-raritan-canal) — New Jersey, US · Historic Site - [Bat Cave and Cascade Caverns State Nature Preserves](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bat-cave-and-cascade-caverns-state-nature-preserves) — Kentucky, US · Nature Reserve - [Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/daniel-stowe-botanical-garden) — North Carolina, US · Botanical Garden - [Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rendezvous-mountain-educational-state-forest) — North Carolina, US · Park [View all places to see pennywort](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/pennywort) ## 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: [Pennywort: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pennywort)