Lithospermum virginianum L.

False Gromwell
Wild Job's Tears

Synonym(s): Onosmodium virginianum (L.) A. DC.

Florida native

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The range of this plant extends through the coastal states from Louisiana to Massachusetts, plus Pennsylvania and the DIstrict of Columbia. In Florida, false gromwell can be found in sandhills, pine flatwoods, upland mixed forests and open hammocks throughout most of the panhandle and north Florida and into some counties of central Florida.
A perennial herb having rough stems and growing to nearly a meter tall with alternate, strongly veined entire leaves. The inflorescence is leafy and the individual flowers open gradually, usually blooming from March through May. Onosmodium virginianum can be differentiated from other genera of the borage family by the needle-like styles that extend from the corolla.

Lithospermum virginianum is a member of the Boraginaceae - Borage family.

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species

iNaturalist profile for this species

USDA Plant Profile for this species

Date record last modified: Mar 27, 2023