Galax

(Galax urceolata)

 

Color Photograph: © by and courtesy of William S. Justice, Smithsonian Institution

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Galax (Galax urceolata)

Identification: Flowers white, with 5 rounded petals. Flowers arranged in a long spike. Leaves large, round, with an indented base. Base of plant with red, scaly bracts. Plant 1 to 2 feet in height.

Distribution: Throughout most of the Appalachian Mountains from West Virginia south to Georgia and Alabama. Also recorded from New York and Massachusetts.

Habitat: Galax is found in mountain forests.

Flowering period: May to July.

Galax (Galax urceolata)

Similar Species:

The large, round leaves and red scales at the base of the plant are distinctive features of Galax.

 Similar Species