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Photographer: Keir Morse
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Family Scrophulariaceae
Chelone glabra L.
turtlehead, white turtlehead
Chelone: Greek for "tortoise" referring to shape of flower to tortoise head
glabra: Latin for "smooth" referring to lack of hairs on leaves and stems
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| Status: | Native |
| Plant: | erect, perennial, 2'-3' tall forb, usually unbranched or with upper branches; stems smooth |
| Flower: | pale yellow to white, 5-parted, 1"-1 1/2" long, tube regular with 2 almost closed lips, upper lip with 2 shallow lobes; lower lip with 3 lobes with the center lobe bearded; inflorescence a 1"-3", dense spike at the end of the stems and branches; blooms July-Sept. |
| Fruit: | capsule, flat seeds with wide wings |
| Leaf: | opposite, up to 6" long, linear to lance-like, toothed, hairless |
| Habitat: | wet; streambanks, meadows, forests, woods |
| (Glossary) |
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