FLORA OF ICELAND elements: Limosella aquatica, Water Mudwort, Efjugras

Limosella aquatica; The Water Mudwort is a low annual plant - only a few centimeters tall - with a ground rosette. New rosettes are formed along procumbent stems.
  - The leaves have a relative long petiole with a spatulate leaf blade. The leaves are organized in basal rosettes without a rising stem. Some small creeping stems grow from the axils of the leaves on which new rosettes root.
  - The flowers also appear from the axils of the roset leaves. They have 5 minute white/pink petals with 4 anthers. There are small hairs on the inside of the petals. The green sepals have a characteristic purple fringe on the edge of the lobes near the tube. The fruits are ovoid to spherical in shape. The seeds are extremely small and can still germinate after many years.
  - It grows on muddy soils of shallow waters that run dry during summer. It can be confused with the Awlwort (Subularia aquatica, see mustard family), but the spatulate leaves immediately sets it apart.
  - It can be found in coastal lowland regions as and more inland lowland regions in valleys.
  - It is a member of the Plantaginaceae (Plantain family) or Scrophulariaceae (Figwort family). Many members of the Figwort family have been transferred to the Plantain family. So too Limosella species, however many still regard them as figworts. The Icelandic name for this species is Efjugras.