Nuttall’s milkwort, is a delicate annual herb native to a handful of eastern states. In Pennsylvania it is considered rare and endangered, occurring mostly in the eastern counties. Its preferred habitats include open woods, peaty thickets, and sphagnum bogs, places where sunlight can reach the ground and moisture supports its growth. Though small and easily overlooked, this species adds subtle color and texture to the understory, marking fragile ecosystems that depend on light, water, and careful balance.

The flowers resemble others in the milkwort family, borne in dense cylindrical racemes. Each flower has five sepals - three small outer ones and two larger, wing‑like inner sepals, and three petals fused at the base into a short tube. The lower petal forms a keel tipped with a fringed crest, enclosing the stamens within. Flowers are typically pink to purple, sometimes tinged with green or white, on stems 4–12 inches tall. Plants often grow in small colonies, their delicate blooms adding subtle color to the understory.

The leaves of Nuttall’s milkwort are alternate along its slender, sometimes branched stems, unlike the whorled leaves of related species. They are very narrow compared to their length, linear to lanceolate, and usually less than an inch long.

Pollinators such as small native bees are drawn to the flower’s unique keel‑petal structure. While deer and rabbits may occasionally browse the foliage, milkworts are not a primary food source for larger mammals.

P. nuttallii was named in honor of botanist Thomas Nuttall (1786–1859), who made significant contributions to the study of North American flora and described many new species of milkworts and other plants.