This inconspicuous member of the Gentian family blooms in April and May. It was found in mid-May under a Rhododendron along the Heath Cove Trail and is likely to be seen at other locations around the Arboretum. Virginia Pennywort is described as being mycotrophic, a type of symbiotic relationship involving a mycorrhizal fungus that is also associated with the roots of a photosynthetic woody plant. As a result, there is a three-way relationship that involves the flow of carbon, water, and/or nutrients among these plants. The purplish, spatulate leaves and the stems are somewhat fleshy. Obolaria is native to the US, ranging from Pennsylvania and New Jersey south to Florida, and west to Texas, Indiana, and southern Illinois. It has been used by Indians as a cough medicine, a diaphoretic, and as a poultice for treating cuts and bruises.

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