Rosepink - Sabatia angularis

Rosepink (Sabatia angularis) is an annual (sometimes a biennial within its geographic range) that is found in only 7 counties within the central-western Panhandle region of Florida. It is common, however, in states north and west of us - occurring from east Texas north to Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  Throughout its range, it occurs most commonly in deciduous moist woodland understories where it gets filtered sun throughout the growing season.  

As a biennial/annual it flowers once and reseeds. It is reported to do so easily in a landscape, but I have no experience with that.  Emergence from the seedbank occurs in spring and the plants reach their adult height of 2-3 feet by summer.  A dense basal rosette shiny oval leaves is quickly formed and the stalkless leaves are opposite along the stems.  Each is about 1 inch long.  Plants produce multiple stems and they are conspicuously 4-angled; a trait that gives it its name.

Flowering occurs atop these stems in early summer and may last into September.  Each flower is about 1 inch across and they occur in flat-toped cymes. They are a rich pink in color, fragrant, and with a yellow center.  Like other members of this genus, urn-shaped seed capsules are produced after pollination and each is filled with a great many seeds.

I have never seen this species offered for sale by any of the native plant nurseries affiliated with FANN - the Florida Association of Native Nurseries, but seeds are often offered by nurseries outside of Florida. It is reputed to self sow in a garden setting, but as an annual it would require a setting without a great amount of mulch to do so.  It requires moist soil and partial sun. If given more sun, it would need higher soil moisture. Its rich color and fragrance make it an excellent garden subject in the right setting - in fact, it was selected as the North Carolina Wildflower of the Year in 2020 through a program managed by the NC Botanical Garden.

The photos above were taken by my friend, Lily Byrd, and are used by permission.