galax
Galax Sims
A genus overview; characteristics vary between its species.
Galax is a small botanical lineage with one living species, Galax urceolata. Slender, slightly woody rhizomes spread beneath the soil, allowing colonies to form dense groundcover. Above them, broad leaves on long stalks make a low layer, while unbranched flowering stems rise clear of the foliage. Flora of North America: GalaxFlora of North America: Galax urceolata
Botanical name
Flora of North America recognizes Galax Sims as a conserved genus with one species, Galax urceolata. Species details below explicitly describe that sole member. Flora of North America: Galax
Recognizing the plant
The leaf blades are rounded to broadly egg-shaped, with heart-shaped bases and finely toothed margins. Their surfaces are hairless, and several main veins spread across the blade. Compact racemes carry small white, urn-shaped flowers. Within each flower, fertile stamens and sterile stamen-like structures are joined near their bases into a crownlike tube. The fruits are small capsules. Flowering stalks usually stand twenty to forty centimetres tall, though the flora records taller examples. Flora of North America: GalaxFlora of North America: Galax urceolata
Seasonality across the genus
Eastern United States
The sole species flowers from May through July in Flora of North America. Flora of North America: Galax urceolata
Native range
The genus is native to the eastern United States. Its sole species occupies rocky woods, stream banks, moist slopes and rock crevices, from mountain forests into parts of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Northern records in Massachusetts and New York are considered garden escapes or persistent plantings. Flora of North America: GalaxFlora of North America: Galax urceolata
Botanical sources
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.