Poorjoe

Diodia teres

Alternate names
Common Buttonweed

Weed Description
Erect or spreading annual with opposite, linear leaves and small white flowers. Found throughout the southeastern United States.

Leaves
Linear or elliptic, 3/4-1 1/2 inches long, 2-6 mm wide, opposite, without petioles, with a prominent midvein on both surfaces. Leaves are connected across the stem by a membrane that has several long (3-5 mm) hairs connected to it.

Stems
Hairy, and most often occur prostrate and spreading along the ground.

Flowers
Arise from a region between the stem and leaf (axillary), usually solitary, star-shaped, and consist of 4 small white sepals.

Identifying Characteristics
Prostrate growth habit, small, white, 4-parted flowers, and membrane connecting each pair of opposite leaves helps to distinguish this plant from most other weeds. However, Virginia Buttonweed (Diodia virginiana) is very similar in growth habit and appearance but is a perennial with much wider leaves and stems that root at the nodes.

Office of Programs

University of Missouri

Poorjoe

Diodia teres