These delicate little flowers can easily pass unnoticed, but there may be thousands of them along a woodland trail. These plants were growing in Bird Park, Mount Lebanon. Whether the plant is properly Circaea lutetiana or Circaea canadensis is a question we leave to botanists; in many classifications the species are separate, but the USDA PLANTS database recognizes only Circaea lutetiana.

For a description of the species, see the Circaea lutetiana reference page.

This is either Circaea lutetiana or Circaea canadensis or Circaea lutetiana ssp. canadensis. Some botanists consider the North American populations to be a separate species from the European ones, but others—like the USDA PLANTS Database—put them together as one species, or make the North American ones a subspecies of the European species.

At any rate, it is a charming little flower that can bloom in deep shade. The flowers are tiny, but unusually shaped, and deserve a closer look. The neat habit of the plant makes it suitable for shade gardens, and it is becoming popular among native-plant enthusiasts.

These plants were photographed in Bird Park, Mount Lebanon, where the species is abundant.

For a description of the species, see the Circaea lutetiana reference page.