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Grass-of-Parnassus
Parnassia palustris
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Grass-of-Parnassus is a small, delicate wetland plant with a single, white, green‑veined flower on each stem. It grows in cool, open, damp places across the Northern Hemisphere. The elegant flower and heart‑based leaves make it easy to notice in late summer.
Did you know?
- Despite the name, it isn’t a grass.
- The flower has five finely fringed, droplet‑tipped threads that mimic nectar and help lure pollinators.
About the species
Identification
A small perennial, usually 5–25 cm tall, with a smooth, thin stem bearing one small leaf that often clasps the stem. At the base are a few long‑stalked leaves with a rounded, heart‑shaped base. Each stem ends in a single flower, 2–3 cm across, white with clear green veins and five petals. In the center are five slender threads and five more that are finely divided with tiny knobbed tips. After flowering it forms a small dry seed case about 1 cm. The strong green veins and single stem leaf help separate it from other small white wetland flowers. Flowers in Finland in July–August.
Plant group
Herbaceous plants
Habitat
shore
Flowering
Jul–Aug
About the habitat
Open, wet, often lime‑rich places such as wet meadows, rich fens, edges of bogs, stream and ditch banks, and coastal meadows. Found across the country; common in the north and along the Bothnian coast (including Åland), but often scarce in the inland of southern and central Finland.
Sources
Photo: Mike Butler, CC BY 4.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6235251517
Text: Pinkka: BIO-503 Suomen kasvisto ja kasvillisuus - Kulttuuriympäristöt: niityt, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38777
Text: Pinkka: Kasvitieteen retkeily Ahvenanmaalle - Nåtö ja Västerskog, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38777
Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilukko
