Parnassia caroliniana

Parnassia caroliniana is a species of flowering plant in the Celastraceae known by the common name Carolina grass of Parnassus. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it occurs in North Carolina and South Carolina, with an isolated population in the Florida Panhandle. This rhizomatous perennial herb grows up to 65 centimeters (26 inches) tall. The basal leaves have rounded to oval blades borne on long petioles and leaves on the stem are heart-shaped and clasp the stem at their bases. The inflorescence is a solitary flower with five deeply veined white petals which may exceed 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) in length. At the center are five stamens with yellow anthers and five three-parted staminodes. The fruit is a capsule, which dehisces to drop seeds.: 25  Unlike Parnassia grandifolia, the pistil of P. caroliniana is white and the staminodes are apiculate, while the petals broaden at points closer to their base than is seen in P. grandifolia.: 10  Parnassia caroliniana gro......read more on Wikipedia.