| Author | (Walter) L.C. Richard | |
| Distribution | Southern Coastal Plain; disjunct inland to Wake, Stanly, and Mecklenburg counties. Known so far from the Lumber and Neuse rivers, the Trent River in Jones County, plus an unnamed wetland in Stanly County. The Mecklenburg County specimen record came in fall 2022. Numerous photos from eastern Wake County on iNaturalist are from a natural site(s) and for now are considered as part of the Natural range.
NC to MO, south to FL and TX; locally in Mex. | |
| Abundance | Rare to locally uncommon along the lower Lumber River, but very rare and declining elsewhere. This is a Significantly Rare species. | |
| Habitat | This is primarily a species of blackwater floodplains and stream margins. Habitats include riverbanks and adjacent shallow water, roadside openings in swamp forests, and ballast ground (Wilmington, New Hanover Co.). | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting July-October. | |
| Identification | The is a sprawling species growing low to the ground, often trailing. It is readily identified by its opposite lanceolate leaves and small heads on long stalks, with yellow ray flowers and dull yellow disk flowers. The flowers average roughly 20-25 mm (nearly 1-inch) across. The riverside habitat also limits the possible yellow-flowered candidates, as does its sprawling habit. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | For many years treated as Spilanthes americana . A synonym is Acmella oppositifolia var. repens.
| |
| Other Common Name(s) | Opposite-leaf Spotflower | |
| State Rank | S1 | |
| Global Rank | G5T5 [G5] | |
| State Status | SR-D | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACW link |
| USACE-emp | FACW link |