false mermaid, Floerkea proserpinacoides

False mermaid? What other kind is there? Floerkea won't lure you onto the rocks where it grows in damp forests. Perhaps it's false because it's there then gone so quickly. This is an weak little annual, sprouting in the spring and disappearing before that season wanes. Floerkea and its entire small family only occur in North America. Perhaps that's why these tiny flowers have been chosen as the logo of the Flora of North America project. False mermaid has a slightly spicy flavor, and has been used as a green vegetable. It grows in CA, CO, CT(E), DE, IA(E), ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN(T), MO, MT, ND, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY, NS, ON, and QC(L). Ives Fen Preserve, Lenawee Co MI, 4/7/12.