Favoritos de janetwright

What appears to be tiny plants with tiny red blooms growing in water in a rock drainage basin near Inks Lake. The second photo with a wide view has several fallen live oak leaves for scale. The small pond was about 3 or 4 feet long and maybe an inch or two deep.

comparison between Xyris iridifolia (left) and Xyris difformis (right).
first photos show the difference between the shape of the spikes, and the broad flattened scape of iridifolia versus the narrowly winged scape of difformis, highlighted by the sunlight in pic 2.
3rd photo compares habit — iridifolia taller, with longer and much broader leaves; difformis shorter, with narrower leaves.
4th pic shows seed difference — elongate and dark grey in iridifolia, rounded and pale yellow in difformis.
both found together in bottomland forest, as typical; creek in background

comparison pic displaying the characteristic leaves of the 4 most common Smilax species locally (S. auriculata, laurifolia, smallii, and bona-nox, respectively), each with one side torn off to show the diagnostic marginal vein, or lack thereof.