| Author | (Nuttall) Britton | |
| Distribution | Occurs over the southern third of the Coastal Plain, from Craven County to Hoke and Scotland counties, with a disjunct record for the northern coast of Dare County.
This is a Southern Coastal Plain species, ranging from southeastern NC to southern FL, and barely to eastern LA; disjunct to DE (but not recorded from MD or VA). | |
| Abundance | Uncommon and local in the range, occupying only a small area of the landscape, as it is limited mostly to savannas and cypress ponds/bays. Very rare to northern Dare County. Absent in the Sandhills. This is a Watch List species. | |
| Habitat | This is a species of clay-based bays, especially with open stands of cypresses, and also of wetter parts of pine savannas. Most sites are in high-quality natural areas, as this is far from being a weedy species. |
| Phenology | Blooms in August and September, and fruits in September and October. | |
| Identification | This species is quite different from the other Agalinis species in the state, owing to noticeably larger flowers and a somewhat different flower color. This is a rather tall yet wand-like species, growing to 2.5-3 feet tall but either unbranched or with a few small and erect branches, often somewhat leaning. It has fairly numerous opposite, but linear leaves, about 1.5 inches long but extremely narrow, usually ascending and thus lying close to the stem. At the end of the stem or any other branches is a terminal raceme, about 6 inches long, with scattered pink flowers with no yellow inside the throat. The flowers are the largest of the genus, about 1.5 inches long and nearly across, and are not rose in color but a medium pink. Despite the paler flowers than on other Agalinis species, this is a beautiful species, especially when a colony is seen; the leaning, wand-like stem and large flowers are quite noticeable. To see this species, you likely will have to visit a known site, as there probably are relatively few undiscovered populations. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
| |
| Other Common Name(s) | Scale-leaf Agalinis | |
| State Rank | S3 | |
| Global Rank | G4? | |
| State Status | W1 | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | OBL link |
| USACE-emp | FACW link |
