Viola!

What, were you expecting some grandiose beauty found hanging in an ancient cypress tree, only accessible by wading through the Everglades for three days? Sorry, the deltoid spurge (Chamaesyce deltoidea) has no such story.

The deltoid spurge is only found in the endemic Pine Rockland habitat (which happens to be my personal favorite) found in southern Miami-Dade county. With its habitat reduced by over 98%, there aren’t many places for this diminutive plant to go. Small? Yeah you can say that. The leaves are not too much bigger than the size of a pinhead and unless you know where to look, it is easily stepped right over. What amazes me about this and the other rare plant species found in this area is the fact that most of the plants grow on rock with no soil and little nutrients. This makes for small but incredibly beautiful plants.

When working in these areas I have to keep my eyes peeled, looking at the same spots again and again until these rare, and endangered plants make their presence known. But, their discovery is always an amazing experience since they may not be here when next I come.

PS – One of these days I will get around to showing all of you a real beauty from the Pine Rockland, the Polygala smallii.