Branching or four-angled sabatia

Herbs biennial. Stems usually single, occasionally 2–several, 4-angled with wings 0.1–0.5 mm wide, 1.5–5(–7.5) dm, branching all opposite or sec­ondary and/or tertiary occasion­ally alternate. Leaves basal and cauline or only cauline present at flowering time; basal blades spatulate-obovate; cauline blades linear-oblong to ovate-lanceolate, 0.8–2.5(–6) cm × 3–8(–18) mm. Inflo­rescences cymes of compact cymules; pedicels 1–2(–4) mm. Flowers 5-merous; calyx tube widely obconic to campanulate, 1.5–3(–3.5) mm, mid- and commissural veins about equally prominent, low-ridged, lobes linear-subulate or rarely wider, 2–8(–11) mm; corolla white throughout (sometimes drying yellow or salmon) or occasionally with a yellow eye, projections of eye into corolla lobes, when present, triangular, without a contrasting border, tube 2.5–7 mm, lobes oblanceolate to narrowly spatulate-obovate, 4.5–15 × 1.5–6 mm, apex rounded to obtuse; anthers coiling circinately. 2n = 32, 34.

Flowering late spring–summer. Fields, open pine woods, granite outcrops; 0–300 m; Ala., Fla., Ga., N.C., S.C., Va.

The name Sabatia paniculata (Michaux) Pursh was misapplied to this species for many years but is typified by a specimen of S. difformis (R. L. Wilbur 1955).